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MISSISSIPPI  SCENES; 

OR,  SKETCHES  OF 

SOUTHERN  AND  WESTERN  LIFE 
AND   ADVENTURE, 

HUMOROUS,   SATIRICAL,  AND  DESCRIPTIVE, 

INCLUDING   THE 

LEGEND   OF   BLACK  CREEK. 


BY   JOSEPH   B.    COBB 

AUTHOR  OF  *'  THE  CEEOLE"  ETC,  ETC. 


"  I  was  always  fond  of  visiting  new  scenes,  and  observing  strange  characters 
and  manners.  My  holiday  afternoons  (even  when  a  mere  boy)  were  spent  in 
rambles  about  the  surrounding  country.  I  knew  every  spot  where  a  murder 
had  been  committed,  or  a  ghost  seen.  This  rambling  propensity  strengthened 
with  my  years." — Washington  Irving. 

"My  enthusiasm  was  always  chiefly  awakened  by  the  wonderful  and  the  ter- 
rible—the common  taste  of  children,  but  in  which  I  have  remained  a  child  ever 
unto  this  day." — Autobiography  of  Sir  Walter  Scott. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

A.  HART,  LATE  CAREY  &  HART. 

1861. 


Entered  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1851,  by 
A.  HART, 
in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Eastern  District  of  Penn- 
sylvania. 


PHILADELPHIA 
T.  K.  AND  P.  O.  COLLINS,  PRINTERS. 


DEDICATION. 


TO  THE 

HON.  AUGUSTUS   B.  LONGSTREET. 

PRESIDENT  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  MISSISSIPPI. 

My  dear  Sir  : — 

It  is  not  unfrequently  the  case  that  sinister  motives 
are  attributed  to  authors  who  choose  to  inscribe  their 
works  to  persons  whose  fame  has  passed  the  ordeal,  and 
whose  names  are  distinguished  in  the  literary  world.  I 
may  not  escape  a  like  suspicion  in  thus  selecting  your 
name  (distinguished  alike  in  the  professional  and  reli- 
gious as  well  as  the  literary  world)  as  the  means  of 
introducing  the  following  sketches  to  the  public,  but  I 
am  very  sure  that  such  will  not  be  entertained  by  those 
who  know  of  the  many  ties  of  friendship  which  have 
induced  me  to  make  such  selection.  This  friendship  I 
have  ever  claimed  as  a  portion  of  my  inheritance,  both 
in  my  own  and  in  right  of  her  who  presides  over  my 
household.  It  is  a  claim  which,  having  been  handed 
from  father  and  father-in-law  to  son,  will  be  recognized 
by  all  Georgians,  and  one  which  the  accomplished  au- 

M618943 


iv  DEDICATION. 

tbor  of  the  "  Georgia  Scenes,"  will  be,  I  sincerely  trust, 
the  last  to  repudiate.  While,  therefore,  notwithstand- 
ing the  very  great  disparity  of  age,  many  of  the  most 
pleasant  and  grateful  scenes  of  my  own  life  have  been 
associated  with  your  name,  I  have  only  to  look  back  a 
few  years  into  the  past  to  found  a  title  to  your  friend- 
ship which  will  absolve  me  of  any  sinister  intention  or 
design  in  this  dedication.  Wishing  you,  then,  my  dear 
judge,  many  happy  New  Years'  return,  and  that  a  life 
which  has  been  so  eminently  useful  may  yet  be  long 
preserved,  I  take  the  liberty  of  subscribing  myself, 
what  I  have  been  from  boyhood, 

Your  sincere  friend, 

THE  AUTHOR. 

LOXGWOOD,  Ml88.,  1850. 


INTRODUCTION. 


A  VERY  few  words  will  suffice  to  preface  the  following 
sketches,  which  are  mostly  drawn  from  real  scenes  and 
characters,  and  may,  therefore,  be  regarded  by  the 
reader  as  faithfully  original.  The  models  and  incidents 
are  alone  borrowed  and  embellished.  Hundreds  now 
living  will  doubtless  recognize  and  identify  every  cha- 
racter, and  thousands  arc  familiar  with  the  scenery  and 
many  of  the  incidents.  These  facts  serve  to  alleviate, 
partially,  the  distrust  with  which  I  offer  them  to  the 
public ;  though,  if  I  shall  have  failed  to  paint  suffici- 
ently life-like,  my  mortification  will  be,  in  consequence, 
much  the  more  intense. 

The  Mississippi  reader,  however,  will  look  in  vain  for 
the  originals  of  all  the  characters  and  scenes  in  our  own 
State  or  midst ;  and  many  friends  in  Georgia,  where  the 
author's  early  life  and  youth  were  passed,  will,  no  doubt, 
be  surprised  to  find  much  in  the  following  pages  which 
belongs  more  properly  to  pleasant  reminiscences  of  the 
treasured  past.  Many  busy  actors  are  the  cherished 
friends  of  early  days  (some  now,  alas !  asleep  in  the 


VI  INTRODUCTION. 

cold  and  cheerless  tomb),  redrawn,  and  introduced  on  a 
different  theatre,  truly,  but  not  altogether  among  unfa- 
miliar names.  Nevertheless,  it  is  here  and  round  about 
that  inquisitive  or  curious  readers  must  look  mainly  for 
satisfaction. 

Some  of  these  sketches  were  originally  published  in 
Mississippi  papers,  under  the  signature  of  a  "Rambler." 
The  author  has,  therefore,  been  compelled  to  divide  the 
volume  into  two  parts,  the  original  design  having  been 
departed  from,  and  the  second  series  being  of  a  different 
character,  entirely,  from  the  first.  The  last  sketch, 
also,  cannot  be  called  a  "Mississippi  Scene,"  and  the 
author  can  only  excuse  its  introduction  on  the  ground 
of  its  being  a  family  reminiscence  of  the  Revolutionary 
era,  and  mainly  true  in  fact.  It  was  furnished,  origi- 
nally, as  a  contribution,  by  the  author,  for  the  October 
number,  1848,  of  Peterson's  National  Magazine. 

The  reader  will  find  that  I  have  indulged,  truly,  the 
^^otium  cum  dignitate'  in  the  composition  of  the  fol- 
lowing sketches.  The  style  is  that  of  everyday  thought. 
I  have  written  more  with  a  view  to  amuse  and  entertain 
than  to  engage  or  instruct.  And  if  various  authors  are 
thought  of  and  named  as  my  model,  let  me  say,  once  for 
all,  that  I  have  written  with  no  design  either  at  imita- 
tion or  competition.  Imitation,  at  the  best,  is  hazard- 
ous; competition  is  out  of  the  question  when  mentioned 
in  connection  with  any  whose  writings  I  may  have 
chosen  for  my  model.     Any  rough  sketcher  may  make 


INTRODUCTIOJT.  VU 

a  tolerable  copy.  To  conceive  and  carry  out  the  origi- 
nal requires  the  hand,  always,  of  a  master  in  the  art. 
Whilst,  therefore,  the  method  and  arrangement  of  the 
following  sketches  may  have  been  suggested  by  reading 
the  works  of  abler  writers,  I  can  yet  say,  with  truth, 
that  there  is  a  novelty  about  them  which  may,  perhaps, 
compensate  for  the  absence  of  greater  beauties. 

Many  of  the  scenes  purporting  to  be  laid  in  Missis- 
sippi will  be  found  equally  applicable  elsewhere  in  the 
South — particularly  those  illustrative  of  negro  character 
and  incident.  I  have  written,  it  will  be  seen,  as  a 
journalist  or  sketcher,  not  as  an  essayist  or  a  politician. 
Abler  pens  than  mine  have  long  since  fulfilled  this  last 
character. 

In  conclusion,  I  can  assure  my  readers  that  they  may 
rely  on  the  truth  and  accuracy  of  the  descriptions  found 
in  the  following  pages ;  and  while,  doubtless,  much  is 
embellished,  there  are  many  who  will  be  able  to  pro- 
nounce most  they  meet  with  "  o'er  true." 

J.  B.  C. 

LoNGWOOD,  Miss.,  1850. 


MISSISSIPPI    SCENES. 


CHAPTER    I. 

A   SABBATH   MORNING   IN   COLUMBUS. 

The  distance  which  separates  us,  my  dear  S ,  will 

be  sufficient  apology  for  addressing  you  as  the  medium  of 
communicating  a  few  rambling  and  descriptive  thoughts 
to  the  public,  if  indeed  I  were  not  justified  already  in 
the  fact  that  I  have  been  long  honored  with  an  intimate 
friendship  to  which  few  have  aspired  with  as  much  sin- 
cerity, and  fewer  still  with  such  pleasing  and  cordial 
evidences  of  success.  And  if  this  was  destined  to  reach 
you  first  through  a  private  letter,  intended  to  circulate 
only  amongst  the  cherished  few  who  form  the  delightful 
circle  into  which  you  will  soon  be  welcomed,  it  would 
then  accord  better  with  my  feelings  to  remove  the  veil 
of  disguise,  and  affix  to  the  initial  letter  the  balance 
which  makes  a  name  connected  wdth  every  virtue,  and 
which  is  associated  with  scenes  of  domestic  beauty 
peculiarly  grateful  and  pleasant.  But  that  modesty  of 
thought  which  operates  to  confine  within  select  limits  an 
intellectual  taste,  as  w^orthy  of  admiration  as  of  envy, 


14  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

and  which  might  eminently  elicit  both  if  more  publicly 
diffused,  forbids  me  to  hazard  a  liberty  so  questionable 
in  its  results  to  a  friendship  I  would  by  no  means  rashly 
lose.  In  pursuing  these  sketches,  therefore  (designed 
merely  for  home  consumption),  I  shall  leave  the  disguise 
in  both  instances  to  be  penetrated  by  those  whose  interest 
in  the  scenes  may  lead  them  to  the  task,  or  who  have 
been  sufficiently  acquainted  in  our  social  circle  to  ex- 
perience at  once  shrewd  suspicions  of  our  identity.  I 
shall  begin  then  with  a  home  sketch ;  nor  do  I  know 
whether,  in  their  future  progress,  these  letters  will  ever 
be  extended  beyond  the  precincts  or  suburbs  of  the  lovely 
and  picturesque  though  comparatively  unknown  and  cer- 
tainly unappreciated  little  city  in  which  our  acquaint- 
ance began.     Such,  though,  may  be  the  case. 

It  was  a  lovely  Sabbath  morning  in  the  spring  of  184- 
that  I  found  myself  leisurely  strolling  along  a  secluded 
street  of  our  little  city,  refreshing  my  eye  with  the  sight 
of  numerous  beautiful  flower-gardens,  redolent  with  the 
earliest  and  sweetest  visitants  of  the  season,  and  indulg- 
ing that  thoughtful  solitude  of  mind  so  agreeable  to  all 
who  reflect  much,  or  who  aim  to  divert  the  thoughts  of 
others  by  communicating  the  fruits  of  that  solitude  and 
reflection.  The  morn  was  most  unusually  calm  and 
quiet,  and  the  little  spring  birds  were  warbling  merrily 
their  joyous  notes  of  welcome,  and  the  sun  shone  with 
that  hazy  and  subdued  lustre  which  we  so  often  imagine 
in  connection  W'ith  the  Sabbath.  Presently  the  church 
bells  were  heard  calling  the  little  Sunday  scholars  to 
their  weekly  Bible  tasks,  and,  involuntarily,  my  own 
fancy  wandered    back   to  childhood's    years   when   the 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  15 

same  sound  called  me  to  the  same  loved  task.  I  could 
almost  see  the  happy  groups  of  bright  and  smiling  faces 
as  they  assembled  in  the  vestibule  of  the  old  vine-clad 
church,  awaiting  the  arrival  of  the  aged  minister  whose 
delight  it  was  to  instruct  us.  There  w^as  the  rosy-cheek- 
ed little  girl,  clad  in  spotless  white,  with  a  nosegay  of 
sweet  flowers  in  one  hand,  whilst  the  other  held  her  Bi- 
ble and  catechism.  By  her  side  was  the  little  brother, 
the  pet  of  home,  the  darling  of  father  and  mother,  whose 
years  were  yet  too  tender  for  other  mental  employment. 
There  stood  the  damsel  just  opening  into  womanhood, 
and  the  youth  pluming  himself  on  the  cut  and  appear- 
ance of  his  first  surtout  with  its  shining  brass  buttons. 
There  in  one  corner  was  the  mild-looking  teacher,  re- 
hearsing with  his  class  the  lesson  soon  to  be  recited  in 
the  minister's  presence ;  and  there,  too,  in  another  corner, 
was  seen  a  bevy  of  laughing  faces,  greeting  each  other 
with  the  fondness  and  simplicity  belonging  to  childhood. 
Then  the  venerated  minister  enters — all  are  still,  and 
answer  reverently  to  his  paternal  welcome.  The  door 
is  opened,  the  invocation  pronounced,  and  I  almost  sur- 
prised myself  listening  to  catch  the  soft  music  of  the 
little  choir  as  they  joined  voices  in  praising  the  God  of 
Sabaoth.  The  picture  was  too  vivid  to  be  diverted  from 
my  mind's  eye  by  the  passing  scenes  and  circumstances 
around.  I  was  carried  back  to  boyhood  and  to  my  early 
happy  home — home  as  it  was  before  death  came  and 
trials  began.  The  tenants  of  the  lonely  and  distant 
graves  were  before  me  as  I  had  seen  them  in  the  morn- 
ing of  life  and  in  the  opening  of  memory.  I  saw  the 
mother  who  prayed  over  me,  the  father  who  petted  me, 


16  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

the  little  brothers  in  whose  gambols  I  participated  in 
those  sunny  days  when  all  was  so  bright.  Even  the  old 
servants  who  watched  us  were  present  to  my  imagina- 
tion. I  could  see  the  companions  who  shared  these 
guileless  pleasures,  and  w^ho  then  bid  too  fair  for  life  to 
sink  so  soon  into  the  grasp  of  death.  All  was  as  fresh 
before  me  as  if  there  the  scene  had  been  enacting,  and 
moments  passed  listlessly  away,  and  the  last  vibrating 
echoes  of  the  church-bells  were  dying  away,  when  my 
fancy  was  forced  again  from  those  lovely  and  grateful 
contemplations.  And  now  my  thoughts  too  changed ! 
Where,  I  asked  myself,  w^ere  those  bright  groups  which 
used  to  assemble  in  that  old  church?  Some,  cut  off  in 
the  bloom  of  life,  reposed  beneath  the  same  shades  ad- 
joining, where  I  had  so  often  watched  them  mingling  in 
childish  sports.  There,  too,  lay  the  little  bright-eyed  bro- 
ther, whom  first  of  all  the  earth  I  had  learned  to  love  ; 
and  there  too  was  the  marble  monument  which  towered 
over  the  mortal  remains  of  him  who  in  life  had  petted  us 
as  the  apples  of  his  eye.  Years  and  years  ago  I  had 
w^atched,  with  tearful  eye,  the  green  grass  as  it  waved 
over  the  lonely  grave  of  that  fond  mother  who  had  bright- 
ened the  home  of  childhood.  All  were  now  gone,  and 
with  the  lapse  of  time  other  feelings  had  been  engen- 
dered, other  and  equally  cherished  affections  had  taken 
the  place  of  those  that  w^ere  fled.     There  is,  however, 

my  dear  S ,  nothing  which  comes  so  w^elcome  and 

grateful  to  the  feelings  as  those  dim  remembrances  of 
early  days,  which  so  harmonize  our  thoughts,  and  steal 
our  imaginations  insensibly  away  to  scenes  which  w^ere 
unalloyed  with  worldly  anxieties,  and  mellowed  by  those 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  17 

softer  primitive    affections  which  have  not  known  the 
blight  of  more  advanced  years. 

It  was  then  under  the  influence  of  feelings  like  these  that 
I  wandered  on  into  the  more  frequented  portions  of  the 
city,  with  the  intention  of  attending  one  of  the  services 
of  the  day.  I  determined  to  go  where  I  should  meet 
with  the  most  numerous  congregation,  with  a  view  of 
finding,  if  possible,  whether  many  others  might  not  be 
pervious  to  a  like  touch  of  feeling,  and  whether  the  cal- 
lousness of  every-day  life  might  not  be,  by  some  chance 
stroke,  forcibly  disarmed  and  diverted. 

I  continued  my  walk,  and  came  to  the  intersection  of 
Church  Street.  Here  I  paused,  for  a  moment,  to  survey 
the  numerous  throng  of  shining  carriages  and  fretful 
horses  before  and  around  me.  Flashy-looking  negroes, 
in  linen  and  broadcloth,  their  heads  covered  with  glisten- 
ing hats  and  their  hands  smothered  in  kid  gloves  of  every 
hue,  mounted  on  their  lofty  boxes,  seemed  to  be  striving 
who  should  succeed  in  cutting  the  most  capers  at  the 
risk  of  their  own  necks  and  their  master's  purses.  On 
my  right,  al  the  distance  only  of  a  few  paces,  I  could 
see  the  Presbyterian  church,  surmounted  with  its  glitter- 
ing dome,  which  seemed  to  shake  on  its  slender  and  ra- 
ther elegant  pillars  beneath  the  vigorous  efforts  of  some 
ardent  bell-ringer  who  tolled  the  faithful  to  their  worship. 

Immediately  in  my  front  towered  the  stately  and  ele- 
gant edifice  dedicated  to  Baptist  worship,  and  further  on, 
within  stone  throw,  was  seen  the  neat  but  more  moderate 
proportions  of  the  Methodist  church.  These  two,  you 
must  be  aware,  my  lovely  friend,  are  the  grand  rival 
sects  of  the  city,  as  indeed  they  are  of  the  United 
States.     They  are  ever  ready  for  the  ring,  and  a  regular 

2* 


18  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

theological  prize  fight  (not  in  its  vulgar  sense)  comes  off 
now  and  then  between  them.  What  is  strange,  too,  they 
rarely  ever  contend  about  the  essential  principles  of  reli- 
gion, but  are  extremely  concerned  to  know  whether  the 
ancient  prisons  were  provided  with  tan-vats,  and  whether 
the  early  Christians  used  water  in  Homoeopathic  or  Allo- 
pathic quantities.  What  a  pity  that,  in  order  to  settle 
this  first  theological  proposition,  the  Jews  or  Christian 
fathers  have  not  been  able  to  excavate  some  manuscript 
remnant  of  old  Simon  the  tanner  ! 

And  so  earnest  are  they  on  these  important  points 
that,  like  the  Highland  and  Lowland  Scotch,  they  never 
allude  to  the  matters  in  dispute  without  an  involuntary 
itching  to  "pitch  into"  each  other,  and  take  a  regular 
Hyer  and  Sullivan  turn.  These  rounds  are  some- 
times pursued  to  a  most  barbarous  extent.  They  are 
renewed  daily  for  weeks  at  a  time,  and  Tartleton's  quar- 
ters are  the  order  of  the  day.  The  regular  ministrations 
of  the  pulpit  sink  into  oblivion  under  this  more  absorbing 
and  essential  business,  and  the  benches  of  the  arena 
groan  beneath  the  weight  of  loafers  and  sinners,  who 
convoke  from  much  the  same  species  of  laudable  curiosity 
that  gathers  the  hordes  to  witness  a  match  race  betwixt 
Boston  and  Fashion.  No  sort  of  contest  is  so  eagerly 
sought  after  or  so  dearly  prized  by  this  respectable  class 
of  community,  and  old  racers,  and  veteran  sportsmen 
who  never  see  the  inside  of  a  church  during  the  old- 
fashioned  sort  of  service,  feel  indispensably  bound  in  duty 
and  conscience  to  attend  on  occasions  of  the  kind  under 
consideration.  Lest,  too,  the  cause  of  our  holy  religion 
should  suffer  from  neglect  to  cultivate  this  taste  in  the 
transgressing  community,  these  churches  (and  others,  too. 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  -  19 

though  they  are  more  secondary)  set  apart  select  cliam' 
pions  trained  and  inured  to  the  service  of  theological 
pugilism,  and  it  has  become  now  as  much  a  science  as 
boxing  and    cudgel-playing   are   amongst  the  English. 

And  I  very  reverently  question,  my  dear  S ,  whether 

St.  Paul  attracted  larger  crowds  when,  *'  after  the  man- 
ner of  men,  he  fought  with  beasts  at  Ephesus,"  than  do 
these  pulpit  champions  when,  betwixt  the  hours  of  exhi- 
bition, they  play  the  lion  on  the  village  streets  or  city 
promenades.  All  honor  and  praise,  then,  to  these  doc- 
trinal boxers,  who  distrust  too  much  the  results  of  Chris- 
tian harmony  and  amalgamation  to  allow  this  pious  war- 
fare  to  become  extinct !  It  is  woefully  to  be  dreaded 
that  such  cessation  of  strife  might  produce  a  most  lament- 
able  vState  of  torpidity,  from  which  religion  could  never 
resuscitate. 

But  it  is  high  time  I  was  going  on  with  the  legitimate 
thread  of  my  sketch  of  a  Sabbath  morning's  visit  to  the 
Church  of  the  Methodists.  I  was  soon  brought  to  con- 
clude, on  the  morning  in  question,  that  it  was  among 
these  worshipers  I  would  find  the  largest  congregation. 

I  have  often  listened  in  company  with  you,  my  lovely 
friend,  to  the  eloquent  and  able  discourses  of  the  minister 
then  in  charge  of  this  church,  and  have  often,  too,  wished 
you  had  been  with   me,  when  these  observations  were 

made.    You,  my  dear  S ,  belong  to  a  different  church, 

and  I,  as  you  well  know,  am  no  churchman  at  all,  but 
we  have  both  agreed  that  this  gentleman  was  a  learned 
and  interesting  expositor  of  the  holy  Gospel,  and  pecu- 
liarly happy  in  awakening  some  latent  feeling,  in  the 
course  of  his  sermon,  which  caused  the  hearts  of  his 
hearers  to  beat  in   unison  with  his  own,  and  impressed 


20         -  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

the  mind  with  a  train  of  associations,  springing  from 
some  tender  and  cherished  fountain  of  memory,  which 
often  surprised  the  most  wary  into  a  gush  of  tears.  And, 
indeed,  whatever  may  be  said  about  the  desultory  and 
discretionary  polity  of  this  class  of  Christ's  followers — 
it  must  yet  be  fairly  admitted  that  their  services,  w^hen 
conducted  by  able  preachers,  are  most  delightful  and 
interesting,  because  the  best  adapted  to  arouse  the  finer 
emotions  of  our  nature,  and  call  into  vivid  action  deeper 
sentiments  than  those  merely  of  awe  and  solemnity. 

The  seats  w^ere  nearly  all  taken  when  I  entered,  but  I 
found  a  vacant  one  without  much  difficulty,  and  com- 
posed myself  for  the  services,  though  scarcely  recovered 
from  the  sensations  by  which,  only  a  few  hours  before,  I 
had  been  so  completely  overpowered.  I  marked  the 
majority  of  persons  present,  and  soon  ascertained  that  I 
knew  most  of  them.  I  was  at  once  satisfied  that  this 
was  eminently  an  opportunity  to  observe  the  power  of 
eloquent  appeal  and  happy  allusion  in  forcing  into  one 
common  channel  of  thought  and  sympathy  these  differ- 
ing materials  and  conflicting  natures.  Every  variety  of 
character,  and  temperament,  and  condition  was  around; 
and  I  prepared  myself  to  observe  with  wakeful  eye  the 
effect  of  the  coming  discourse,  and  to  detect,  if  possible, 
that  furtive  link  of  sympathy  which  philosophy  teaches 
us  to  believe  exists  between  all  rational  beings,  though 
a  lifetime  may  pass  without  its  development  in  natures 
which  have  been  corroded  by  more  powerful  and  less 
tender  influences.  My  only  fear  was  now  that  the 
preacher  himself  might  fail  to  strike  the  happy  mesmeric 
chord. 

The  hymn  was  given  out  and  sung  with   a  zeal  and 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  21 

good  feeling  which  augured  finely  for  a  speedy  diffusion 
of  that  mystic  influence  so  essential  to  the  successful 
accomplishment  of  my  wishes.  The  feelings  of  the  wor- 
shipers rose  with  the  swell  of  vocal  melody,  in  which  all 
joined  to  waft  their  morning  orisons  to  the  throne  of 
Grace.  I  was  myself  most  sensibly  affected  by  the  sim- 
ple music.  The  air  was  as  old  as  the  hills,  and  carried 
my  fancy  many  years  back,  when  in  happier  days  I 
had  listened  to  the  same  familiar  strains  in  the  nursery, 
in  the  village  church,  or,  perhaps,  at  some  rustic  camp- 
meeting.  A  thousand  fond  and  long-forgotten  associa- 
tions were  crowded  instantly  on  my  mind,  and  I  surren- 
dered unconsciously  to  a  delightful  revery.    And,  indeed, 

my  dear  S ,  I  have  often  wondered  of  late  years  that 

this  class  of  Christians  should  endeavor  to  introduce  choirs 
and  new-fangled  music  in  their  churches  !  They  destroy, 
by  this  means,  one  of  the  principal  charms  of  their  wor- 
ship. The  moment  that  native  melody  is  restrained, 
and  the  untaught  peasant  debarred  from  mingling  his 
voice  in  unison  with  those  around  him,  genuine  Method- 
ism will  begin  to  retrograde. 

The  prayer  followed — chaste,  unostentatious,  uttered 
with  becoming  decorum  and  mildness,  though  fervent 
and  inspiring  ;  but,  if  the  responses  had  not  been  so 
general,  I  should  have  pronounced  it  somewhat  too  pro- 
tracted. All  was  now  attention  for  the  exordium  of  the 
sermon,  and  the  text  was  most  aptly  selected.  It  was 
the  beautiful  and  touching  parable  of  the  rich  man  and 
Lazarus.  The  first  half  hour  of  the  discourse  was  con- 
sumed in  a  learned  and  ingenious  exposition  of  the  doc- 
trinal points  involved,  which,  though  intensely  interesting 
and  instructive,  failed  utterly  to  produce  that  effect  for 


22  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

which  I  had  been  prepared  from  the  annunciation  of  the 
subject,  and  which  was  indispensable  to  the  accomplish- 
ment of  my  wishes.  But  the  peroration  exceeded  my  ex- 
pectation, and,  despite  every  effort  to  the  contrary,  my 
own  philosophy  of  mind  was  disarmed,  and  I  was  borne 
forcibly  along  in  the  current  of  feeling  which  was  fast 
overwhelming  the  audience.  The  splendid  fortune  and 
sumptuous  living  of  the  nabob  were  most  touchingly  con- 
trasted with  the  privations  and  sorrows  of  the  suffering 
beggar  who  lay  at  his  gate.  You  could  almost  see  the 
sparkling  eyes  and  flushed  cheeks  of  the  one  as  he  re- 
veled gayly  with  friends  over  his  wines  and  viands  ; 
and  then  your  ears  were  seemingly  appalled  by  the 
groans  of  the  other  as  the  pitying  dogs  licked  his  sores. 
There,  before  you,  were  the  sunken  eyes,  and  wan  coun- 
tenance, and  sickly  smile,  as  he  welcomed  the  friendly 
animals  ;  and  a  happy  illustration  presented  vividly  to 
mind  his  choking  thoughts,  which  found  no  utterance,  as 
his  fancy  wandered  to  the  distant  home  he  was  never 
again  to  behold,  with  its  happy  faces,  and  cheerful  com- 
forts, and  simple  abundance.  Scarcely  a  dry  eye  was 
to  be  seen  ;  and  when,  at  the  closing  scene  of  life,  the 
celestial  messengers  were  pictured  descending  to  bear  to 
Abraham's  bosom  the  despised  and  neglected  sufferer, 
the  passage  of  the  breeze,  or  the  rustling  of  a  silk 
dress  as  some  weeping  female  changed  her  position, 
might  have  been  insensibly  mistaken  for  the  flutter  of 
angel  wings,  wafting  the  loathed  burden  to  a  happy 
home  in  heaven.  Sobs  and  groans  became  universal, 
and  the  calmness  of  the  preacher  himself  gave  way  be- 
fore the  vivid  imagery  of  his  own  active  powers.  Such 
is   the   force   of   true   pulpit  eloquence  when  intended 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  23 

to  reach  the  heart  through  the  medium  of  the  sympathies. 
There  sat  those  whose  bread  of  life  was  drawn  from  the 
distresses  and  misfortunes  of  friends  and  neighbors, 
weeping  as  if  their  hearts  w^ould  burst.  There  sat  the 
grasping  and  avaricious  absorbed  in  grief;  and  the  am- 
bitious, and  the  proud,  and  the  revengeful,  all  alike  car- 
ried away  by  a  gush  of  tender  emotions.  There  were 
the  prodigal,  and  the  indifferent,  and  the  unbelieving, 
surprised  into  a  state  of  overpowering  sensibility.  There 
were  the  truly  pious,  the  amiable,  and  the  beautiful,  all 
bathed  in  tears  !  Great  God  !  what  a  mysterious  organ 
is  this  human  heart !  The  seat  alike  of  all  that  is  vicious 
and  all  that  is  good,  philosophy  has  been  unable  to  bare 
its  recesses  or  explain  its  contradictions  ;  religion  itself 
has  failed  w^holly  to  subdue  its  impulses. 

I  have  ever,  my  dear  S ,  since  that  Sabbath  morn- 
ing, loved  to  attend  Methodist  w^orship  ;  and  though  sel- 
dom in  the  habit  of  such  visits,  the  associations  pro- 
duced by  the  one  in  question  have  ever  dwelt  green  in 
my  memory. 


24  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 


CHAPTER  II. 

THE    DUN    GENTLEMEN    OF    TOWN. 

Memory,  or  association,  my  dear  S ,  is  the  true 

source  of  pure  intellectual  pleasure,  and  the  gift  of  this 
faculty  is  strong  proof  of  the  celestial  nature  of  man. 
Few  hours  of  our  life  are  filled  up  with  objects  adequate 
to  the  mind.  We  are  so  often  in  want  of  present  plea- 
sure or  enjoyment  that  we  are  forced  to  have  recourse 
every  moment  to  the  past  or  the  future,  and  thus,  as 
Johnson  so  aptly  says,  seek  to  relieve  the  vacuities  of 
our  being.  The  satisfactions  arising  from  memory  are 
the  only  joys,  indeed,  which  we  can  call  our  own.  The 
present,  as  the  same  waiter  tells  us,  is  in  perpetual  mo- 
tion, leaves  us  as  soon  as  it  arrives,  ceases  to  be  present 
before  its  presence  is  well  perceived,  and  is  only  known 
to  have  existed  by  the  effects  which  it  leaves  behind,  or 
the  hopes  which  it  excites  for  the  future.  But  whatever 
of  solace  or  of  pleasure  we  find  in  the  sacred  treasures  of 
the  pasty  is  out  of  reach  of  violence,  or  accident,  nor  are 
to  be  lost  either  by  our  own  weakness  or  another's 
malice. 

Be  fair  or  foul,  or  rain  or  shine, 

The  joys  I  have  possessed  in  spite  of  fate  are  mine  ; 

Not  heaven  itself  upon  the  past  has  power. 

But  what  has  been  has  been,  and  I  have  had  my  hour. 

Dryden. 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  25 

The   preceding  number  was  partly  intended,  my  dear 

S ,  to  illustrate  what  has  here  been  said,  inasmuch 

as  it  exarapled  the  power  and  pleasure  of  association  sug- 
gested by  passing  scenes,  clothing  .the  present  with  an 
ephemeral  fascination,  drawn,  by  association,  from  the 
pure  fountain  of  departed  joys.  Others,  however,  less 
charitable  than  yourself,  and  more  inclined  to  fastidious 
criticism,  may  choose  to  attribute  very  different  inten- 
tions as  the  groundwork  of  the  former  number,  and  seek 
to  connect  with  untasteful  satire  what  w^as  designed 
merely  as  mirthful,  harmless  sketches.  Well,  be  it  so. 
If  we  make  the  praise  or  blame  of  others  the  sole  rule  of 
our  conduct,  we  shall  soon  be  distracted  by  a  boundless 
variety  of  irreconcilable  judgments,  and  held  in  per- 
petual suspense  between  contrary  impulses.  Being  first 
satisfied  that  he  has  not  deviated  from  the  established 
rules  of  composition,  every  writer,  if  not  every  man, 
should  regulate  his  actions  by  his  own  conscience,  and 
shun  the  error  of  attempting  to  secure  popularity  by  a 
solicitous  conformity  to  prevailing  prejudices,  and  an 
undue  submission  to  advice  and  criticism.  It  is  easy  to 
foretell  the  fate  of  productions  squared  and  fashioned  by 
this  Procrustean  pattern.  They  soon  sink  into  unpalata- 
ble commonplaces,  and  oftentimes  inspire  a  merited  dis- 
gust.— It  is  conceded  on  all  sides  that  society,  in  its 
different  features  and  divisions,  is  a  legitimate  subject 
for  the  exercise  of  pen,  ink,  and  paper;  and,  proceeding 
on  this  admission,  writers  should  resolutely  adopt  the 
Crocket  motto,  taking  care  to  observe  jealously  all  the 
decent  and  becoming  proprieties  which  regulate  social 
intercourse.     I  have  as  little  respect  as  any  one,  dear 

S ,  for  that  class  of  mortals  who  aim  to  criticise  with- 

3 


26  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

out  first  learning  to  indite,  and  who  seek  to  gain  by  a 
system  of  depreciation  that  notoriety  which  true  ambition 
contemns.  Let  us,  then,  without  assuming  to  rebuke 
errors  at  which  all  cojinive,  or  to  reform  customs  in  which 
society  habitually  indulges,  not  so  much  to  its  detriment 
as  to  its  confusion,  endeavor  in  pursuing  the  leisure 
sketches  to  proceed  a  la  mode — and  that,  too,  in  its 
common,  not  in  the  literal  or  vernacular  sense. 

I  have  often  heard  you  lament,  my  dear  S ,  that 

Columbus  was  so  barren  of  legendary  or  romantic  asso- 
ciation. Indeed,  as  to  this,  one  only  spot  of  all  its  various, 
imposing  and  tasteful  local  beauties  is  connected  with 
superstitious  incident — and  that  has  yet  failed  to  elicit 
attention  from  the  pen  of  a  tourist  or  tale-teller.  It  may 
do  so  in  the  course  of  the  present  year ;  and,  as  I  shall 
doubtless  have  some  acquaintance  with  the  author,  you, 
my  fair  friend,  may  be  assured  that  a  copy  shall  reach 
you,  even  in  the  distant  and  lovely  retreat  which  you 
have  chosen.  But  there  is  much  to  admire  in  the  bold- 
ness and  novelty  of  much  of  its  scenery.  There  is  the 
tall  and  abrupt  bluff  which  overlooks  the  blue  stream  of 
the  Bigbee,  lined  with  green  shrubs,  and  fragrant  wild 
flowers,  and  blooming  vines,  and  towering  trees  all  beau- 
tifully reflected  on  the  crystal  bosom  of  the  river  beneath, 
and  luxuriating  in  the  grandeur  of  primitive  and  undis- 
turbed regularity  !  On  its  summits  you  may  see  the 
smoke  curling  gracefully  up  from  many  a  cottage  chim- 
ney;  and  beyond,  the  eye  is  greeted  with  a  beautiful 
plain  widening  gradually  out,  and  covered  w4th  hand- 
some residences,  which  wealth  and  taste  have  united  to 
adorn,  smiling  in  all  the  cherished  luxury  of  domestic  com- 
fort and  happiness.    From  yonder  eminence  on  the  Tusca- 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  27 

loosa  road,  the  traveler  beholds  with  delight,  not  unmixed 
with  some  wonder,  the  miniature  panorama  of  a  Ma- 
hometan city,  rising  suddenly  to  the  vision  in  the  interior 
of  a  country  not  famed  for  its  improvements,  w^ith  domes, 
and  spires,  and  cupolas,  looming  in  the  distance,  to 
gigantic  proportions,  and  dazzling  the  eye  with  their 
glittering  summits !  No  town  of  its  size  in  the  Union 
can  boast  of  a  like  imposing  and  showy  array  in  this 
respect ;  and  if  w^e  are  driven  to  admit  that  taste  is  not  so 
generally  diffused  as  some  might  desire,  we  may  at  least 
challenge  emulation  in  the  way  of  architectural  improve- 
ment. Passing  the  main  thoroughfares  of  the  little  city, 
w^e  find  the  plain  on  which  it  is  situated  broken  suddenly 
into  formidable  ravines,  and  wild  dells,  and  gentle  undu- 
lating hills  which  are  occasionally  crowned  with  lovely 
rural  retreats,  where  the  comforts  of  the  country  and  the 
conveniences  of  town   may  be   alike   enjoyed.     Surely, 

then,  ray  dear  S ,  our  dull,  dry,  stale  Columbus  (as 

it  is  often  called)  is  not  wholly  without  its  claims  to 
interest ;  and  if  we  will  only  bring  the  imagination  from 
lis  wandering  flights  to  our  own  homely  firesides,  we  shall 
discover  that  scenes  with  which  we  are,  perhaps,  dis- 
agreeably familiar,  may  borrow  at  least  a  passing  efful- 
gence. 

From  the  number  of  church  edifices  which  are  inter- 
spersed through  the  city,  one  might  be  led  unwarily  to 

the    conclusion,    my    dear  S ,  that    little    else   was 

thought  of  besides  prayers  and  preaching.  This,  how- 
ever, w^ould  be  a  rash  and  unjust  conclusion,  involving 
a  charge  of  indifference  to  the  "  creature  comforts"  of 
this  life  highly  injurious  to  the  active  character  of  its 
good  citizens.     Alas!  the  world,  with  its   carnal  weak- 


28  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

nesses  and  covetous  desires,  still  manages  in  the  midst 
of  all  these  magnificent  offerings  to  religion  to  hold  its 
own  most  wondrously  well ;  and  trade  is  pushed,  and 
pelf  puffed,  and  wealth  w^orried  after,  and  dollars  are 
doubled  just  the  same  as  elsewhere. 

We  must  beg  our  kind  readers,  dear  S ,  to  indulge 

us  with  one  number,  whilst  w^e  take  them  through  the 
Cerean  mysteries  necessary  to  elucidate  the  grounds 
taken  above.  And  they  must  be  informed,  imprimis, 
that  the  world  is  so  far  nip  and  tuck  in  the  race  with  the 
doctrine  of  self-denial  that  our  town,  as  wtII  as  others, 
hath  actually  and  verily  sprouted  from  its  abundance  of 
worldly  proclivities  a  homilitical  species,  or  novel  pro- 
fession,  which  has  totally  demolished  lawyers  and  con- 
stabulary agents.  This  demolition  is  so  far  perfected  that 
the  last  are  here  exposed  as  much  as  anyother  class  of  citi- 
zens to  the  raking  fire  of  these  paper-tongued  neophytes, 
whose  respectability  (though  surely  unquestionable)  is 
only  to  be  equaled  by  their  admirable  assiduity.  To 
define  more  clearly,  I  must  declare  them  to  be  a  collateral 
estate  or  invention  wisely  thrust  in  between  the  rights  of 
creditors  and  the  tardy  remedies  of  law^,  to  aid  the  fiscal 
pugnacity  of  the  first,  and  to  particularize  the  lamenta- 
ble universality  of  the  last. 

I  wish  it  distinctly  remembered  that  the  neophytes 
deal  exclusively  in  small  matters  ;  as  for  those  of  larger 
dimensions,  the  superabundance  of  our  town  hath  care- 
fully and  ingeniously  provided  a  higher  order  of  remedy. 
These  neophytes  are  a  distinct  and  peculiar  genus.  Like 
the  lilies  of  the  field,  "they  toil  not,  neither  do  they 
spin,"  having  imbibed  the  very  singular  idea  that  others 
should  "toil  and  spin"  for  them.     Yet  they  are  by  no 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  29 

means  loafers;  as,  although  claiming  an  equal  right 
with  this  harmless  and  respectable  gentry  in  the  amuse- 
ment of  box- grinding y  they  yet  go  further,  and  assert 
what  loafers  would  scorn  to  own,  that  grinding  mankind 
is  a  far  more  profitable  operation  than  grinding  boxes, 
and  that  the  last  is  only  allowable  on  the  ground  of  aiding 
to  perform  the  first  more  successfully.  They  are  besides 
remarkable  for  greatly  mistrusting  human  memory,  and 
are  absolutely  desperate  for  fear  of  being  forgotten  be- 
tween the  lapse  of  one  day  and  another.  This  will  ac- 
count for  their  commendable  anxiety  to  aid  the  first  by 
continuous  and  friendly  remembrances,  and  must  excuse 
the  means  they  select  to  guard  against  the  latter  catas- 
trophe. They  certainly  are  the  most  high-headed  and 
independent  class  in  town,  and,  if  the  Mayor  and  Select- 
men only  knew  it,  might  be  made  the  most  efficient 
policemen.  Bow-Street  runners  in  London,  with  all  the 
terrible  associations  which  cling  around  that  awful  name, 
w^ere  never  so  dreaded  as  are  those  neophytes  of  Main  and 
Market.  They  take  the  street  with  an  air  of  consequence 
and  confidence  most  admirable  to  observe,  and  guard  the 
corners  with  an  alacrity  and  vigilance  which  would  have 
caused  Cerberus  to  drop  his  tail  in  his  very  best  days. 
Such  is  the  wholesome  influences  inspired  by  their  pre- 
sence that  few  like  to  take  the  risk  of  a  personal  encounter, 
and  none  are  rash  enough  to  accost  them  without  being 
first  saluted.  It  is  doubtful  whether  a  mariner  uses  half 
the  finesse  and  tacking  to  get  around  Cape  Horn  that 
an  ordinary  man  employs  to  steer  clear  of  a  Columbus 
shark.  (There  are  a  genus  of  extraordinary  men,  who 
always  go  around  them  with  smooth  sailing.  JVous 
verrons.)    To  exemplify  the  amount  of  independence  and 

3* 


30  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

importance  which  attach  to  these  neophytes,  they  may, 
at  any  time,  parade  the  street  from  the  Court-house  to 
the  Eagle  Hotel,  whilst  before  their  august  strides  law^- 
yers,  and  magistrates,  and  sheriffs,  and  constables  will  be 
seen  to  fly  alike  in  dismay,  and  seek  the  darkness  of  a 
convenient  alley  as  the  best  of  earthly  friends.  No 
sooner  is  one  descried  than  the  cry  of  sauve  qui  pent  is 
more  hurriedly  ejaculated  in  a  crowed  of  lagging  debtors 
than  it  was  amongst  the  terrified  masses  of  Napoleon  on 
the  fatal  of  day  Waterloo. 

Now,  let  it  not  be  thought  that  because  these  gentle- 
men are  high-headed  they  are  at  all  swelled  headed.  So 
far  from  this  being  the  case,  they  consider  none  so  hum- 
ble as  to  be  beneath  their  notice — in  proof  of  which 
honorable  fact  let  it  be  here  recorded  that  those  whom 
others  will  not  hunt  up  or  notice  are  sure  to  be  ferreted 
out  and  particularly  attended  to  by  these  useful  members 
of  society.  But  if  they  cannot  be  called  swelled  heads, 
they  can  lay  fair  claim  to  the  more  euphonious  and  less 
offensive  title  of  swelled  pockets.  These  last  are  an  in- 
dispensable  appendage  to  their  wardrobe,  and  are  a  never- 
failing  index  to  the  character  and  profession  of  their 
owner.  It  is  generally  said,  too,  that  they  prefer  to  wear 
coats  of  a  dun  color,  as  being  more  directly  indicative  of 
their  calling,  just  as  a  class  of  politicians  in  France  are 
distinguished  by  the  title  of  sans  cullotte.  These  pockets 
being  filled,  not  with  gold  and  silver,  but  with  the  sym- 
bols of  their  authority  and  office,  never  fail  to  command 
the  most  solemn  and  profound  respect.  This  may,  there- 
fore, be  literally  termed  honoring  the  cloth  of  gentlemen 
— a  provincialism  I  have  never  before  been  quite  able  to 
interpret. 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  81 

Who  can  then  say,  my  dear  S ,  that  our  people 

are  so  led  away  by  superstitious  reverence,  as  might  be 
argued  from  the  disproportionate  number  of  churches, 
that  they  are  all  unmindful  of  the  bargain  and  barter, 
and  gains  and  savings  of  ordinary  rational  life  ?  No,  we 
can  boast  as  moral  and  refined  society  as  any  other  city; 
but  our  people  know  full  well  the  uses,  of  every-day  life, 
and  the  churches  are  set  apart,  as  they  should  be,  for 
Sunday  purposes.  And,  truly,  they  render  the  day  so 
graven  on  one's  mind  in  the  days  of  youth  as  the  day  of 
the  Most  High,  delightful  and  agreeable  even  to  those 
who  are   not  accepted  worshippers.     And  I  may  justly 

add,  dear  S ,  that  few  cities  are  able  to  emulate 

Columbus  as  respects  the  general  attendance  of  churches, 
or  the  sacred  observances  of  the  day. 

I  shall  give  you  my  experience,  in  some  future  num- 
ber, of  a  Sabbath  afternoon  and  evening,  in  continua- 
tion of  the  opening  sketch  of  a  Sabbath  morning. 


32  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES, 


CHAPTER  III. 

ON  HUMBUGS.     THE  ALLEGORY  OF  THE  SHOEBLACKS. 

I  HAD  paused  listlessly,  one  summer  morning,  at  the 
corner  of  Main  and  Market,  opposite  the  drug  establish- 
ment of  A.  N.  Jones  &  Co.,  and  was  admiring  the  peculiar 
beauties  of  Columbus  at  such  a  moment  when,  in  the  ab- 
sence of  all  active  trade,  nothing  is  to  be  seen  on  the 
streets  but  a  dashing  equipage  containing  some  lovely 
votary  of  fashion  engaged  in  her  diurnal  round  of  shop- 
ping, or  the  contented  countenance  of  a  nonchalant  loafer 
as  he  perambulates  from  one  corner  to  the  other  in  that 
delectable  occupation  o^  killing  time.  It  is  only  at  such 
season,  my  fair  friend,  that  we  are  enabled  to  appreciate 
les  modes  (in  every  sense  of  the  term)  of  this  little  interior 
city.  But,  small  as  Columbus  is,  we  have  yet  here  a 
sufficiency  of  all  necessary  materials  to  paint  a  miniature 
of  the  world.  The  residence  of  only  a  twelvemonth  will 
serve  to  convince  the  veriest  skeptic  who  presumes  to 
doubt  the  fact. 

I  shall  here  (and,  maybe,  hereafter)  adduce  evidences 
to  sustain  what  I  have  asserted  ;  and,  by  way  of  beginning, 
let  me  say  that,  on  the  morning  in  question,  I  was  amused 
with  a  very  striking  and  forcible  illustration.  On  every 
side,  and  for  some  distance  up  and  down  this  main 
thoroughfare  of  the  city,  my  eye  caught  sight  of  blazing 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  33 

and  gorgeous  advertisements,  some  in  large  gilt  or  wooden 
frames,  others  simply  nailed  to  doors  and  facings — all, 
however,  garnished  with  varied  colors,  and  setting  forth 
the  unheard-of  and  never-to-be-equaled  qualities  of  some 
newly-discovered  or  long-established  medical  preparation, 
w^ith  a  farewell  hint  about  what  places  and  what  persons 
have  been  fixed  upon  as  agencies  through  which  to  help 
mankind  to  their  healthful  benefits.  Upon  entering  one 
or  two  shops  on  Main  Street,  I  found,  besides  the  usual 
display  of  a  fancy  establishment,  that  a  great  part  of  the 
room  was  decorated  with  ornaments  of  this  description. 
There  were  elixirs,  and  tinctures,  and  crack  plasters,  and 
sanative  salves,  and  pills,  and  electuaries,  and,  in  short, 
more  special  curatives  than  I  believe  there  are  diseases. 
You  might  naturally  have  supposed  that  Deaths  on  behold- 
ing such  a  fearful  preparation  of  armor  to  ward  off  his 
attacks,  would  have  quit  his  business  in  utter  despair, 
and  presented  the  counterpart  of  ^'Patience  on  a  monu- 
ment smiling  at  Grief."  I  began  to  congratulate  the 
present  age  on  the  happy  prospect  of  lengthening  life  and 
conquering  disease ;  and  pain,  I  thought,  would  be  of  such 
short  duration  that  a  few  cramps  and  spasms  now  and 
then  would  be  only  an  agreeable  variety,  and  just  serve 
to  enhance  the  value  of  pleasure.  But  unfortunately  for 
the  spread  of  science,  these  discoverers  kept  the  ingredients 
of  their  medicines  scrupulously  secret.  No  professional 
acumen  or  chemical  research  could  possibly  fathom  or  ex- 
pose them.  Not  satisfied  with  an  exclusive  patent  right,  they 
yet  prefer  to  keep  the  secret,  as  in  this  secrecy  dwells 
much  the  greater  magic.  What  a  comment  on  human 
nature!  The  art  of  managing  mankind  consists, 
then,  only  in  making  them  stare  a  little,  in  keeping  up 


34  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

their  astonishment,  in  letting  nothing  become  familiar 
to  them,  but  ever  having  something  in  the  sleeve  in  which 
they  must  think  you  are  deeper  than  they  are.  Our 
accomplished  and  esteemed  friend  Shocco  (and  it  gives  me 

true  pleasure,  dear  S ,    to  rank  him    as    a   friend) 

can  doubtless  testify,  from  all  accounts,  that  our  own  good 
community  is  not  altogether  free  from  this  infirmity;  and 
others  there  are  who  insist  that  we  are  even  blessed  with 
a  more  than  ordinary  share  of  the  amiable  quality  known 
as  credulity.  I  will  not  endorse  this,  but  I  may  venture 
to  tell  you  what  I  have  seen. 

Leaving  the  shops,  I  continued  my  walk  leisurely  up 
the  street,  and  whilst  still  meditating  on  the  medicinal 
wonders  I  had  just  seen,  I  was  attracted  by  several 
notices,  full  pompous  notes  of  exclamation  which  loomed 
forth  from  the  trees  and  posts  along  the  edge  of  the  pave- 
ment. I  had  the  curiosity  to  stop  and  read  one  of  these, 
w^hen  the  following  annunciation  met  my  eye,  strangely 
illustrating  more  potently  the  thoughts  w^hich  had  occurred 
to  me  when  looking  over  the  all-healing  nostrums  and 
invaluable  medical  discoveries. 

Hi^  STOP  AND  READ  !!!!-#!) 
J.  H.  B.  Bigbug,  Shoeblack,  having  determined  to  settle 
in  Columbus,  respectfully  offers  his  professional  services 
to  all  such  as  will  favor  him  wdth  their  patronage.  He 
belongs  to  the  new  school  of  shoeblacks,  having  taken 
his  degrees  at  Goodenbrush  College,  Ireland,  and  hopes, 
should  occasion  offer,  to  prove  that  those  w^ho  style  them- 
selves the  regulars  are  the  true  quacks.  The  citizens  of 
Columbus  may  not  be  aware  that  new"  and  important 
discoveries  have  been  made  recently  in  the  science  of 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.        -  35 

shoeblacking.  Under  the  benign  influence  of  these  valu- 
able discoveries,  many  boots  and  shoes  which  are  now 
fast  wearing  out  and  dropping  to  untimely  decay  under 
the  pernicious  system  used  at  present  to  keep  them  bright, 
w'ill  be  beautifully  restored.  The  whole  substance  and 
constitution  of  the  leather  will-be  resuscitated  miraculously 
quick,  without  leaving  any  injurious  poisons  to  undermine 
and  weaken  the  strength.  This  may  be  done,  too,  at  one 
quarter  of  the  usual  expense,  and  by  the  use  of  one 
hundredth  less  of  blacking  than  is  employed  under  the 
old  system.  His  materials  being  prepared  either  by  him- 
self or  experienced  agents  at  the  north,  he  will  avouch 
their  being  genuine  and  efficacious.  He  may  always 
be  found  (when  not  professionally  engaged)  at  No.  23 
Market  St. 

You  can  well  imagine,  my  dear  S ,  that  surprise 

was  my  first  emotion  on  reading  this  unique  card,  and  I 
found  myself  involuntarily  laughing  at  the  singular  as- 
surance, as  I  then  thought  it  to  be,  which  characterized 
its  author.  But,  on  mixing  in  with  some  few  friends  and 
acquaintances,  I  soon  found  that  I  must  use  some  caution 
in  speaking  out  ray  impressions,  and  that  this  Mr.  Bigbug 
was  already  beginning  to  take  the  town  by  storm.  Most 
every  person  was  his  advocate,  and  many  ardently  testi- 
fied to  his  superior  and  unheard-of  dexterity.  I  saw  that 
imagination  had  taken  wing,  and  the  numerous  instances 
of  his  skill  which  were  momentarily  recited  in  my  pre- 
sence almost  convinced  me  that  Mr.  Bigbug  was  going 
to  prove  the  eighth  and  greatest  wonder  of  the  w^orld.  One 
or  two  of  the  old  shoeblacks,  who  accidentally  passed  up 
the  street,  and  whose  faces  had  been  familiar  to  me  for 
years,  looked  as  blue  as  indigo,  whilst  a  sardonic  sneer 


36  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

curled  their  lips.  I  saw  that  if,  like  Csesar,  they  were 
doomed  to  fall,  they  had  made  up  their  minds  to  fall 
with  dignity  at  the  base  of  Pompey's  statue. 

Weeks  and  months  succeeded  and  rolled  away,  and 
still  the  wondrous  achievements  of  Mr.  Bigbug  were  the 
theme  of  everybody's  conversation.  Shoes  which  had 
lain  moldering  for  years  in  the  garret,  and  which  defied 
all  the  efforts  of  the  old  shoeblack,  were  made  to  shine 
under  his  magic  touch  more  brightly  than  a  barber's 
basin.  Boots  which  had  been  dismissed  from  service 
time  out  of  mind,  and  thought  utterly  impervious  to  all 
recuperative  efforts,  borrowed  suddenly  all  their  ancient 
polish,  and  emitted  such  a  luminous  effulgence  that  a 
dandy  might  use  them  to  see  how^  to  curl  his  whiskers. 
How  soft  the  soles  had  become!  how  pliant  the  tops 
were !  how  springy  the  heels  felt!  You  would  have  sup- 
posed that  Mr.  Bigbug's  touch  had  done  the  work  of  a 
six  month's  soaking,  and  that  the  wearer  was  sufficiently 
inspired  to  leap  a  ten-rail  fence  with  stakes  and  riders. 
And  all  this  too  was  done  by  Mr.  Bigbug  alone — and 
no  one  else  knew  or  could  know  how  it  was  done  with- 
out a  regular  course  of  apprenticeship  under  Mr.  Bigbug. 
Some  actually  averred  that  he  w^as  more  than  mortal, 
and  that  he  knew  too  much  for  any  good.  His  habits 
were  not  like  those  of  other  shoeblacks.  He  did  not 
load  himself  with  brushes  had  boxes  ;  he  had  only  to  dis- 
till from  a  jaybird's  quill  the  least  part  of  a  strange-look- 
ing fluid,  and  then  touch  the  shoe  once  or  twice  slightly 
with  a  feather  from  the  wing  of  a  whip-poor-will,  and 
the  work  was  done,  and  all  over.  No  noise  of  rubbing 
and  scrubbing  accompanied  his  efforts;  no  smell  of  lamp- 
black and  turpentine  could  offend  the  nostrils  after  he 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  37 

was  done  with  boots.  He  had  also  been  heard  to  con- 
found the  wisest  of  his  profession,  and  to  declare  that 
he  depended  not  alone  on  the  natural  properties  of  his 
blacking.  All  these  things  were  closely  and  reverently 
treasured,  and  the  old  housewives  and  octogenary  men, 
who  had  been  raised  up  under  the  regular  dynasty  of 
shoeblacks,  piously  declared  that  they  feared  to  touch 
any  boot  or  shoe  which  had  been  cleaned  with  his  black- 
ing and  feather.  His  name  and  fame  were  soon  spread 
abroad,  and  Mr.  Bigbug  was  often  sent  for  from  distant 
places  to  carry  the  benefits  of  his  novel  art  of  blacking 
boots  and  shoes.  He  would  return  from  such  visits  in 
any  kind  of  weather,  caring  neitherfor  rain,  nor  lightning, 
nor  thunder,  and  wasfrequently  heard  galloping  furiously 
along  the  road  at  midnight,  striking  fire  at  every  step 
of  his  horse,  like  any  romping,  devil-may-care  goblin. 
How  could  all  this  result  otherwise  than  in  building  up 
for  Mr.  Bigbug  a  prodigious  popularity,  overshadowing 
the  pretensions  of  all  other  shoeblacks? 

But  his  admirers  did  not  suffer  his  claims  to  pre- 
eminence to  rest  even  here.  Many  asserted  that  his 
blacking  seemed  to  impart  an  elasticity  and  vigor  to  the 
fibres  and  sinews  of  the  foot  which  aided  the  operation 
of  walking  no  little,  and  that  water  could  not  so  much 
as  light  on  a  boot  or  shoe  he  had  once  touched,  let  alone 
penetrating  the  leather.  Others  again  declared  that  they 
had,  under  his  direction,  used  his  preparation  with  the 
greatest  amount  of  profit  on  their  plantations,  and  that 
brogans  which  had  been  lime-eaten  by  the  prairie  mud 
and  laid  aside  for  a  year  as  past  use,  were  suddenly 
restored  to  all  their  ancient  toughness,  and  made  to  answer 
the  purpose  of  a  new  purchase.  In  fact,  marvels  mul- 
4 


38  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

tiplied  and  wonders  increased  to  such  an  extent  that 
the  appearance  of  Mr.  Bigbiig  on  the  streets  was  sure 
to  produce  universal  gaping  and  staring,  and  even  the 
old  shoeblacks  would  look  at  him  as  a  sort  of  natural 
curiosity.  Cabals  and  consultations  were  several  times 
put  in  requisition  with  a  view  to  his  dethronement,  but 
all  failed  signally.  Mr.  Bigbug  was,  beyond  all  com- 
parison or  competition,  the  bigbug  of  Columbus. 

Now,  my  dear  S ,  without  at  all  intending  to  dis- 
parage Mr.  Bigbug  (who,  by  the  by,  was  really  an  accom- 
plished and  deserving  shoeblack),  let  us  endeavor  to 
analyze  this  furor  of  our  people  for  novelty.  Does  it 
proceed  from  conviction  or  faith?  I  confess  that  I  think, 
in  this  connection,  of  Ovid's  opening  line  to  the  Meta- 
morphosis— *^  In  nova  fert  animus."  Novelty  is,  it  seems, 
the  emblem  of  mankind,  the  Circe  of  the  world.  Few 
are  touched  with  the  sublime  spectacle  of  the  sun  rising, 
as  Virgil  says,  from  its  coral  bed  to  light  up  the  world  ; 
but  everybody  runs  if  a  little  sparkling  meteor  happens 
to  dash  athwart  that  blue  mass  of  vapors  which  we  call 
the  heavens.  Unfortunately,  we  soon  learn  to  despise 
what  is  common  or  familiar: — 

"  Villa  sunt  nobis  quaecumque  prioribus  annis 
Vidimus,  et  sordet  quidquid  spectavimus  olim/' 

Indeed,  my  fair  friend.  Charlatanism,  if  not  the  twin 
sister,  seems  ever  to  have  been  the  handmaiden  of 
science.  The  votaries  of  science  have  never  been  able 
to  dispense  with  or  get  rid  of  it.  Every  one  erects  his 
own  systems,  or  tangents  of  a  system,  of  physics,  meta- 
physics, and  theology,  and  all  will  find  disciples  in  this 
wonder-loving,  novelty-courting  world.    True  science  in 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  39 

any  of  its  numerous  branches  must  be  too  patiently  pur- 
sued ;  its  propositions  are  too  profound  ever  to  acquire 
extended  influence  or  rabid  popularity  for  its  professors. 
To  do  this,  the  fancy  must  be  put  to  work,  the  imagina- 
tion kindled,  the  judgment  seduced  by  some  captivating 
and  ephemeral  ruse,  the  reason  surprised  and  diverted,  and 
all  the  superstition  with  which  our  natures  are  charged 
actively  and  skilfully  aroused.  Mystery  is  a  most  power- 
ful enchantress,  and  although  science  is  now  simplified 
and  directed  to  the  reason  and  common  sense  of  men,  it 
has  not  outlived  its  connection,  in  former  ages,  with  occult 
and  supernatural  agencies.  If  you  cure  a  patient  with 
a  cobweb  pill  drawn  from  the  walls  of  his  own  room, 
and  afterwards  tell  him  of  your  practice,  it  is  ten  chances 
to  one  he  ever  gets  well  again  under  the  same  treatment. 
A  celebrated  and  successful  French  physician  said,  when 
dying,  that  he  left  two  old  and  great  physicians  behind 
him — viz.,  simple  diet  and  pure  water — and  yet  how 
many  have  ever  acted  or  would  consent  to  act  on  such 
advice  when  plausible  but  disguised  treatment  was  held 
out  as  a  bait.  The  most  important  matters,  when  they 
have  become  familiar,  are  no  longer  considered  with 
wonder  or  solicitude,  and  that  only  strikes  and  affects 
us  which  is  rare  and  mysterious.  Faith,  at  last,  is  the 
touchstone  of  the  human  mind,  and  faith  is  often  at  war 
with  common  sense,  and  to  a  great  extent  annihilates 
reason.  The  Arab,  who  besides  being  a  good  calculator 
is  a  learned  chemist  and  fine  astronomer,  nevertheless 
takes  by  faith  the  story,  related  in  the  Koran,  that  Ma- 
homet cleft  the  moon  in  twain  and  put  one-half  in 
his  sleeve.  He  is  above  common  sense  in  the  three 
sciences  alluded  to,  and  beneath  it  in  the  matters  of  his 


40  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

faith  about  the  nioon.  His  reason  acts  in  the  first  and 
his  judgment  leads  him  to  conviction;  in  the  last,  both 
reason  and  judgment  are  annihilated.  He  has  seen  one 
with  his  own  eyes,  and  perfected  his  own  intelligence  ; 
in  the  second,  he  has  used  the  eyes  of  another.  And 
yet,  which  is  the  most  palatable,  and  which  could  he  be 
induced  to  surrender  first?  The  occult,  the  mysterious, 
the  incomprehensible,  always  inspire  a  species  of  adoration 
— sometimes  even  from  the  most  intelligent.  But  it  is 
the  silent  homage  of  blind  faith,  not  the  lucid  convictions 
of  reason  and  judgment. — Charlatans  of  every  profession, 
ever  shrewd  and  sagacious,  dextrously  avail  themselves 
of  this  amiable  infirmity  of  our  natures,  and  we  are 
oftentirnes  surprised  into  a  pertinacious  belief  before  the 
first  proposition  is  settled  and  impulse  determines  what 
reason  alone  should  consider. 

Promising,  dear  S ,  to  let  your  hear  from  me  again 

shortly,  I  am  for  the  present,  and  until  then  only, 

A  RAMBLER. 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  41 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Mr.  Pynsent  Plainlove,  in  a  letter  to  the  Rambler,  describes  the  odds  and 
ends  of  his  first  and  only  visit  to  Columbus  on  a  shopping  expedition 
with  his  family.  * 

The  following  letter,  my  dear  S ,  is  only  the  begin- 
ning of  a  series  now  in  my  desk.  Indeed,  I  fear  that  my 
kind  and  worthy  correspondents  will  multiply  quite  too 
rapidly  for  my  purposes,  as  I  am  by  no  means  willing  to 
play  the  part  of  conductor  to  all  their  discontents  and 
mishaps.  I  have  now  by  my  side  a  letter  from  Mrs. 
Winny  Wiggins,  complaining  dolorously  of  a  benevolent 
inania  which  she  declares  to  have  seized  her  husband, 
and  maintaining  that  he  never  discovered  any  symptoms 
of  such  a  malady  until  he  came  to  Columbus.  Then 
there  is  a  communication  from  a  learned  Quaker  friend, 
and  an  astute  Mormon  catechumen,  both  called  forth 
from  some  remarks  in  my  two  first  numbers.  Also  an 
epistle  from  a  Mr.  Mansfield  Coke,  formerly  a  law  student 
in  Columbus,  giving  an  account  of  his  first  appearance 
among  our  elite.     But  to  begin  : — 

Frogmarsh,  A][yril  24:thf  1849. 

To  THE  Author  of  the  Rambler  : — 

Finding,  sir,  in  the  columns  of  my  last  "Democrat," 

one  of  a  series  of  interesting  domestic  sketches,  which  I 

observe  you  are  furnishing  to  the  reading  public,  I  have 

4* 


42  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

concluded  that  a  letter  from  me  descriptive  of  a  visit  I 
made  with  my  wife  and  daughters  to  Columbus  some  time 
ago,  might  prove  very  acceptable.  The  tone  and  man- 
ner of  your  sketch  concerning  my  old  acquaintance  Big- 
bug  amused  me  mightily,  and  for  that  reason  I  send  you 
this.  You  must  know,  sir,  that  I  am  a  plain,  unpretending, 
homespun  sort  of  a  man,  about  fifty  years  of  age,  with  a 
wife,  two  grow^n-up  daughters,  and  a  smart-sized  stump 
of  a  boy  for  my  white  family.  I  moved  from  Tennessee 
some  three  years  ago,  and  liking  the  Buttahatchie  country 
better  than  the  prairie  lands,  I  bought  my  present  estate 
of  Frogmarsh,  situated  some  twenty  miles  from  Columbus, 
and  on  which  I  work  fifteen  likely  hands,  without  owing 
a  dollar  in  the  world  beyond  my  store  accounts.  Our 
neighbors  are  all  simple  matter-of-fact  sort  of  people, 
making  no  pretensions  to  anything  extra,  but  yet  good 
enough  in  every  sense  to  suit  me.  But  my  wife  and  girls 
are  (or  set  up  for  being)  quite  of  a  different  stamp. 
They  aim  to  cut  a  figure  on  every  occasion,  pique  them- 
selves on  having  an  instinct  about  affairs  of  fashion, 
(though  I  assure  you,  sir,  they  never  saw  a  really  fash- 
ionable lady  but  once  in  their  whole  lifetimes),  and  run 
me  yearly  to  no  little  expense  in  maintaining  a  sort  of 
show,  which  I  notice  gives  rise  to  more  staring  always 
than  either  envy  or  imitation. 

Nothing  would  do  one  morning  last  spring  but  they 
must  fix  up  and  pay  a  visit  to  town  for  the  purpose,  as 
they  termed  it,  of  shopping.  We  were  used  generally  to 
move  about  on  horseback,  but  nothing  would  do  now  of 
less  respectability  than  a  carriage.  My  poor  old  mother, 
who  died  last  year,  had  an  old  hack  of  a  barouche  with  a 
huge  dickey  seat  and  movable  top,  which  she  had  left  me 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  43 

on  her  dying  bed  as  a  memento  of  her  earliest  married 
life,  not  at  all  with  a  view  to  its  use  or  value.  We  had 
not  used  it  since  the  day  we  landed  in  Mississippi,  and 
time  had  dealt  very  considerably  and  evidently  with  it. 
Part  of  the  top  and  one  lamp  w^ere  entirely  missing,  and 
with  all  the  search  imaginable  could  not  be  paraded ;  and, 
besides,  the  harness  had  so  fallen  to  pieces  that  I  had  to 
destroy  several  rope  halters  to  tie  them  decently  together. 
A  pair  of  substantial  plough  bridles  and  tw^o  stout  shuck 
collars,  in  lieu  of  those  which  had  been  lost,  made  the 
gears,  at  length,  complete  ;  but  where  to  find  suitable 
horses  w^as  the  next  difficulty.  I  had  several  nice  fillies 
and  fine  colts,  whose  spirited  looks  and  glossy  coats 
would  have  made  quite  a  good  appearance  had  I  been  able 
to  have  persuaded  my  women  to  go  a  horseback ;  but  as 
for  working  them  in  a  vehicle,  you  might  as  well  have 
tried  to  hitch  up  a  brace  of  wuld  bucks.  The  only  re- 
source was  to  take  two  of  the  farm  mules,  w^hose  natural 
vicious  dispositions  had  been  sufficiently  subdued  by  age 
and  hard  service,  and  which  might,  therefore,  be  safely 
ventured  without  the  least  apprehension  of  a  dangerous 
prank.  The  next  greatest  obstacle  was  to  find  a  driver, 
for  amongst  all  my  men  not  one  had  ever  handled  a  car- 
riage rein,  and  my  mother's  coachman  had  died  a  month 
or  so  before  his  mistress,  of  chronic  rheumatism.  My 
wife's  ingenuity,  however,  came  to  her  aid  in  this  pinch, 
and  she  determined  to  risk  old  Jerry,  a  superannuated 
negro,  who  had  been  thrown  in  to  me  at  a  gentleman's 
sale  the  year  before,  to  go  along  with  his  wdfe  and  child 
whom  I  had  purchased.  The  old  fellow  had  been  raised 
to  the  business,  but  had  not  driven  for  many  years,  and, 
before  setting  out,  fairly  owned  to  me  that  in  crossing 


44  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

rugged  places  he  dreaded  a  fall,  as  he  had  entirely  for- 
gotten how  to  motion  for  the  play  of  the  springs.  But  no 
excuse  would  now  answer  my  wife  and  the  girls,  and, 
treating  him  to  a  stiffdram  of  rum  to  brighten  his  spirits, 
as  they  said,  they  insisted  on  dressing  him  off  in  a  suit 
of  my  old  Kentucky  jeans,  though  there  was  full  a  foot  and 
a  half  difference  in  our  heights,  not  taking  into  account 
the  old  fellow's  bow"  legs,  which,  I  assure  you,  sir,  de- 
scribed a  complete  circle  betwixt  the  hips  and  the  feet. 

Thus  arranged,  w^e  sat  out,  my  wife  and  the  girls  in 
the  barouche,  whilst  I  rode  one  of  my  blooded  mares, 
with  my  son  behind.  But  the  plan  had  liked  to  have 
failed  from  the  very  start.  Not  being  used  to  their  new 
caparisons,  my  mules  would  not  budge  a  foot  from  their 
tracks,  although  Mrs.  Plainlove  and  my  girls  kindly  en- 
deavored to  aid  by  rocking  their  bodies  to  and  fro  so  as 
to  coax  them  to  keep  up  the  motion  ;  whilst  old  Jerry, 
mounted  on  the  dickey  with  all  his  ancient  dignity, 
stamped  terribly  on  the  dash-board,  keeping  up,  at  the 
same  time,  such  a  constant  clucking  and  whistling  that 
I  feared  the  muscles  of  his  mouth  would  tire  down  soon 
in  the  action.  The  worst  of  it  was  that  my  foreman  had 
absolutely  forbidden  the  use  of  a  whip  as  sure  to  produce  a 
fit  of  violent  and  dangerous  kicking  up.  Failing  in  all  other 
attempts,the  old  fellow  seemed  at  last  to  conjecture  that  his 
mules  were  not  sufficiently  aware  of  their  liberty  to  move, 
and  he  would  lean  forward  and  throw  the  reins  loosely 
about  their  hips  so  coaxingly  and  indulgently  that  I  made 
sure  the  hint  would  be  taken.  Not  so,  however,  and  I 
had  at  length  to  call  one  of  my  plough  lads  to  assist  us, 
who,  unbuckling  the  reins  and  advising  the  old  driver  to 
hold  on  steady,  gave  the  lead  mule  such  a  monstrous  jerk 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  45 

by  the  mouth,  at  the  same  time  kicking  her  violently  in 
the  side,  that  they  both  started  off  in  a  full  trot,  not  stop- 
ping until  they  came  to  the  big  gate,  the  boy  in  the  mean 
time  running  along  at  the  side. 

Without  stopping,  sir,  to  recover  the  various  little 
mishaps  which  fell  to  on  the  way,  such  as  stalling  now 
and  then,  an  occasional  break  about  some  part  of  our 
rickety  vehicle,  and  one  or  two  falls  on  the  part  of  old 
Jerry,  all  of  which  gave  great  offence  to  my  wife  and  the 
girls,  whilst  it  tickled  our  mischievous  pet  of  a  boy  be- 
yond measure,  I  will  just  say  that  we  reached  town  just 
five  minutes  after  eleven  o'clock,  having  started  from  home 
about  a  half  hour  before  day.  As  we  got  opposite  the 
Baptist  church,  a  large  quality  carriage,  filled  with  as 
starchy  a  set  of  fine  ladies  as  I  ever  had  seen  in  Nash- 
ville, and  drawn  by  two  fiery  bay  horses,  rushed  passed 
us  in  full  trot,  and  it  made  such  a  flashy,  appearance  be- 
side our  old  crazy  barouche  that  I  repented  sorely,  plain 
a  man  as  I  am,  I  had  humored  my  women  in  allowing 
them  to  come  in  that  way.  When  we  got  into  the  main 
streets,  I  soon  noticed  that  our  looks  and  equipage  pro- 
duced quite  a  sensation.  The  sight  of  the  fine  carriage, 
Mr.  Rambler,  had  recalled  to  old  Jerry  some  of  his  former 
coachman  glory,  for  he  was  now  grinning  most  hideously, 
with  his  mouth  stretched  from  ear  to  ear  (although,  sir, 
he  had  not  a  single  tooth  in  his  head) ;  whilst  my  girls, 
who  had  observed  one  or  two  gentlemen  acquaintances 
on  Market  Street,  kept  bobbing  and  ducking  their  heads 
ata  rate  which  left  no  doubt  of  the  great  pleasure  they 
felt  at  the  recognition.  I  thought  that  I  detected  a  smo- 
thered laugh  on  the  lips  of  one  of  these  sparks  as  his  eye 
fell  on  old  Jerry  and  the  mules;  and  on  the  corner,  when 


46  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

another  bowed  as  we  passed,  I  actually  saw  him  clap  his 
hand  to  his  mouth  the  minute  after,  and  force  a  violent 
fit  of  phthisic  to  conceal  his  rudeness.  I  really  could  not 
blame  them  much,  but  I  thought,  as  they  had  been  many 
a  time  at  the  bran  dances  which  my  girls  give  occa- 
sionally in  the  summer  season,  that  they  might  have 
tried  a  little  harder  to  greet  with  decency  and  respect 
the  first  visit  the  poor  creatures  had  ever  made  to  town. 
We  made  but  slow  progress  up  the  street,  despite  of 
the  vigorous  clucking  and  drumming  w^hich  old  Jerry 
managed  to  keep  up  in  order  to  divert  the  attention  of  his 
mules  (which  really  looked  about  as  much  pleased  as 
any  inside  of  the  carriage);  and  it  was  not  w^ithout  con- 
siderable scuffling  that  we  at  length  drew  up  in  front  of 
a  large  store,  and  prepared  to  alight.  We  were  ac- 
quainted with  the  storekeeper  and  his  principal  clerk,  and, 
knowing  my  snug  means,  and  plain,  punctual  business 
ways,  they  received  us  with  every  possible  demonstra- 
tion of  joy,  shaking  hands  cordially,  w^th  my  wife  and  the 
girls,  and  kindly  saying  that  they  hoped  w^e  had  come  at 
last  to  make  a  big  bill.  I  could  not  but  be  gratified  at 
the  warmth  of  their  behavior,  but  their  fine  manners  put 
my  women  into  such  an  ecstasy  of  good  humor  that  I 
feared  they  would  go  too  far,  in  returning  it,  for  my  no- 
tions of  economy.  When  we  entered  the  store,  two  or 
three  of  the  younger  clerks,  who  were  seated  near  the 
door,  observing  the  marked  deference  and  pleasure  with 
which  we  had  inspired  their  superiors,  bounced  up  from 
their  seats  with  astonishing  agility,  and  then,  not  taking 
time  to  walk  around,  slid  over  the  counters  with  a  mo- 
tion like  that  of  so  many  terrapins  sunning  themselves  on 
some  old  floating  log. 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  47 

We  were  now  all  arranged  along  the  main  counter  at 
tolerably  regular  distances  apart,  with  a  view,  I  suppose, 
to  full  room  for  action,  mounted  on  high  slender  stools, 
w4th  a  salesman  stationed  obligingly  opposite  to  each.  I 
confess  these  ominous  preparations  caused  me  to  blench 
slightly,  but  as  it  was  now  greatly  too  late  to  draw  out, 
I  had  to  content  myself  wuth  a  resolve  to  sit  still  and  look 
sharply  to  the  affair.  I  observed,  however,  w^ith  some 
uneasiness,  that  the  storekeeper  was  adopting  the  same 
sort  of  tactics  on  his  side,  for  he  stood  apart  from  the 
rest,  leaning  on  the  show-case,  with  his  eye  fixed  stead- 
ily on  his  clerks  all  the  time.  I  endeavored  by  various 
feints  and  demonstrations  to  draw  him  from  his  position, 
but  as  he  did  not  show  any  attention  I  soon  gave  over  in 
despair. 

My  wife  and  her  daughters  asked  first  to  look  at  some 
calicoes  and  nankeens.  All  hands  immediately  fell  to 
work,  and  bolt  after  bolt  was  dashed  on  the  counter  w4th 
such  a  rapid  succession  of  booms  that  I  verily  thought 
they  Xvould  strip  every  shelf  before  stopping,  besides  the 
risk  of  some  stray  one  falling  over  and  upsetting  all  three 
of  my  women,  who  were  perched  up  much  higher,  any 
way,  than  they  had  ever  been  accustomed  to.  After  thus 
piling  the  counter,  the  head  clerk,  who  was  serving  wife, 
just  to  the  left  of  my  place,  unrolled  a  piece  of  stout 
goods,  and,  catching  a  crimp  or  two  between  his  thumb 
and  forefinger,  would  give  a  kind  of  the  most  dextrous 
snap  I  ever  beheld,  by  way  of  proving  its  strength.  Sa- 
tisfied with  this  proof,  besides  admiring  the  color  and 
texture,  my  wife  ordered  ten  yards  to  be  cut  off  and  laid 
aside.  The  yardstick  was  produced,  and,  having  cut  off 
the  requisite  number,  he  took  from  his  vest  pocket  a  neat 


48  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

pair  of  scissors,  and  as  my  wife  was  kindly  preparing  to 
hold  the  part  next  to  her  that  she  might  assist  in  cutting 
straight,  he  just  made  the  least  bit  of  ^  slit  at  the  point 
he  had  marked,  and  then,  twirling  it  nimbly  up  and  drop- 
ping the  scissors,  jerked  the  cloth  asunder  with  a  sudden 
smash  that  started    every  nerve  in   my  body  to  work, 
whilst  my  wife,  finnicky  and  starchy  as  she  was  looking, 
fairly  ducked  her  head  for  wonder.     In  a  trice  more  it 
was  wrapped  and  tied,  and  then   tossing  it  away  up, 
whirling  over  and  over,  he  caught  it  alertly  in  one  hand, 
to  the  delight  of  my  little  boy  by  me,  who  w^atched  these 
capers  with  every  sign  of  astonishment.     We  next  inti- 
mated a  desire  to  look  at  some  crockery  ware,  leaving 
Hannah  and  Charity  to  finish  our  purchases  of  dry  goods, 
and  w^ere  marched  off  to  a  different  part  of  the  house, 
filled  with  crockery,  cutlery,  and  various  species  of  hard- 
ware.    Here  this  agreeable  young  man  began  a  round 
of  caprioles,  which  convinced  me  that  he  had  set  out  to 
fulfil  the  hopes  of  a  big  bill  sure  enough.     He  laid  his 
right  hand  on  a  pile  of  different-sized  dishes,  and  gave 
them  such  a  terrible  shake  and  jingle  that  I  really  thought 
it  had  been  his  intention  to  break  them  to  pieces ;  but, 
before  the  trembling  motion  into  which  he  had  thrown 
them  fairly  ceased,  he  managed  to  extract  one  from  the 
middle  almost  w^ithout  our  seeing  so  much  even  as  .the 
attempt,  and  in  another  instant  it  was  balanced  on  the 
ball  of  his  thumb,  and  being  slung  around  at  the  rate  of 
half  a  dozen  times  the  second.    This  sleight-o'-hand  work 
being  over,  and  the  requisite  number  of  plates,  dishes, 
tureens,  slop-bowls  and   sugar-vases  duly  set  aside,  all 
which  he  averred  to  be  of  the  very  best  quality  then  ma- 
nufactured, he  next  showed  us  some  tumblers.     Here 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  49 

again  he  ventured  a  trial  to  prove  the  stoutness  of  his 
ware,  which  I  thought  wholly  unnecessary,  for,  seizing 
one  of  them,  he  hurled  the  bottom  down  on  the  counter 
with  a  violence  and  ferocity  of  look  which  argued  nothing 
short  of  destructiveness.  But  my  wife,  who  was  a  shrewd, 
sharp-witted,  woman  (although  a  little  too  frickety  on  the 
score  of  humoring  our  girls'  fashionable  airs),  was  not 
to  be  caught  by  such  pretences  as  thaf,  and  luringly 
asked  the  young  gentleman  to  try  the  mettle  of  his  tumb- 
ler in  the  same  way  on  the  other  end.  This  he  declined, 
however,  saying,  very  properly,  that  the  design  of  making 
the  bottom  so  hard  and  heavy  was  to  guard  the  other  end, 
as  in  the  event  of  a  fall  it  was  thus  sure  to  light  on  its 
bottom.  I  treasured  this  remark,  Mr.  Rambler,  and  have 
often  thought  since  how  many  things  in  this  world  were 
too  top-heavy  for  the  bottom  they  carried. 

When  we  got  back  to  where  the  girls  were  dealing,  we 
found  Hannah  trying  to  fit  her  head  to  a  Leghorn  bonnet, 
assisted  by  one  of  the  younger  clerks,  who  obligingly 
held. a  small  looking-glass  before  her  face.  Our  friend, 
the  head  clerk,  seeing  this,  ran  up  to  the  girl,  and  de- 
claring he  had  saved  one  of  these  bonnets  expressly  for 
her  to  buy,  took  hold  of  the  sides  of  the  one  she  was  try- 
ing on,  and  bent  it  nimbly  about  her  cheeks,  once  or 
twice  managing  to  clasp  it  under  her  chin,  and  then 
ended  by  saying  that  it  fitted  her  every  way,  to  which  I 
could  plainly  see  my  girl  was  fully  agreed.  At  the  same 
time.  Charity  was  endeavoring  to  fit  on  a  pair  of  kid  slip- 
pers, and  was  seated,  in  her  stocking  feet,  on  a  trunk 
which  stood  in  a  passage  between  the  counters.  Our 
accommodating  friend  had  an  eye  also  for  this  business, 
and  I  saw  him  select  out  a  bronze-colored  pair,  and  after 
5 


50  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

expatiating  on  their  beauty  and  suitableness,  proceeded 
himself  to  take  hold  of  my  daughter's  foot  and  thrust  it 
into  the  shoe,  declaring  that  he  never  saw  a  pair  go  on 
so  smoothly.  He  then  caused  her  to  stand  up,  and  him- 
self seizing  her  frock  and  petticoats,  with  one  hand 
clasped  them  tightly  around  her  ankle,  whilst  with  the 
other  he  pressed  the  shoe  more  closely  to  the  foot,  so  that 
she  might  see  and  admire  the  full  fit,  protesting  that  he 
never  beheld  anything  more  beautiful  in  his  life.  I  did 
not  hear  any  dissent,  either,  to  any  of  these  propositions 
on  the  part  of  Charity,  and  felt  I  would  certainly  have 
the  bronze  slippers  as  well  as  the  Leghorn  bonnet  both 
to  pay  for. 

Gloves  were  next  asked  after,  and  Mr.  Fred,  Smiley 
(which  was  the  head  clerk's  name)  declared  boldly  he 
could  show  the  prettiest  ever  brought  to  this  market. 
Upon  this  he  took  down  a  neat  paper  box,  and,  pulling  up 
the  top,  displayed,  I  must  say,  as  handsome  a  variety  as 
I  had  ever  seen,  though  totally  unsuited  to  plain  country 
people  like  ourselves.  There  were  blue,  and  pink,  and 
yellow,  and  purple,  all  shining  in  very  taking  arrange- 
ment. I  saw  the  eyes  of  both  mother  and  daughters 
fairly  blaze  up  at  once,  but  when  Mr.  Smiley  suggested 
that  they  would  be  so  nice  for  those  fine  bran  dances  at 
Frogmarsh  (and  the  sly  rogue  had  been  at  many  a  one), 
I  saw  that  he  had  made  the  master  hit  of  the  day,  for  my 
women  all  made  a  dash  to  secure  a  pair  right  off.  The 
two  girls  succeeded  in  squeezing  on  a  pair  without  much 
difficulty,  but  their  poor  old  mother,  who  had  gone  through 
substantial  service  in  her  day,  found  it  not  so  easy  to 
pull  hers  on,  and  expressed  some  fear  of  tearing  them. 
Whereupon  Mr.  Smiley  drew  forth  a    large  singularly 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  51 

formed  set  of  wooden  tweezers  (for  I  can  call  them  no- 
thing else,  for  the  life  of  me),  which  he  introduced  by  turn 
into  each  finger  of  the  glove,  causing  them  all  to  flare 
out  softly  and  snugly  enough.  Thus  aided,  my  wife 
was  enabled  to  run  her  fingers  in  w4th  all  ease  in  the 
world,  and  declared  that  the  tweezers  had  just  done  the 
thing  exactly  to  her  hand ;  in  fact,  she  said,  better  than 
if  they  had  been  made  for  her. 

Whilst  all  this  flaunting  Was  a-going  on,  Mr.  Rambler, 
I  turned  to  one  of  the  clerks,  and  simply  asked  to  look  at 
a  sample  of  shoes  which  might  do  for  our  little  boy 
(some  six  years  old),  intending  not  to  commit  myself  to 
buy  a  pair  if  I  should  not  be  mightily  pleased.  Whether 
it  was  that  he  half-way  suspected  this  from  my  manner 
of  speaking,  or  that  he  had  caught  a  cue  from  his  supe- 
rior, I  know  not,  but  instead  of  taking  out  only  a  few 
pairs  to  show  me,  he  called  another  to  his  aid,  and  to  my 
chagrin  and  confusion,  he  handed  forth  a  huge  draw^er 
full  of  them,  and,  with  a  glib  twirl,  emptied  the  w^hole 
contents  on  the  counter  before  me.  After  all  this  trouble 
on  their  part,  I  could  not  think  of  disappointing  them, 
and  of  course  chose  one  or  two  pairs  of  shoes,  when  I 
might  have  done  very  well  w^ithout  any.  This  brought 
to  a  close  the  purchases  we  had  intended  to  make,  and  a 
few  more,  but  when  I  would  have  had  my  women  pre- 
pare to  leave,  Mr.  Smiley  insisted  that  we  might  need 
other  articles,  and  as  we  were  now  in  town,  suggested 
that  we  had  best  make  hay  while  the  sun  shone.  I,  of 
course,  understood  all  this  as  being  nothing  more  than 
talk,  but  my  fashionable  ladies  thought  it  might  be 
deemed  rude  to  leave  so -abruptly,  and  kindly  intimated 
their  willingness  to  look  at  anything  which  Mr.  Smiley 


52  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

should  desire  to  show  them.  With  this  he  fell  to  afresh, 
and  fairly  charmed  them  with  the  sight  of  perfume  vials, 
and  scented  soaps,  and  fancy  combs,  and  flashy  ribbons. 
He  then  persuaded  himself  that  we  might  want  a  looking- 
glass,  and  catching  up  a  couple  he  carried  them  nimbly 
to  and  fro  before  the  girls'  faces ;  and  although  they  so 
struck  in  the  sun  once  or  twuce  as  almost  to  strike  the 
w'hole  of  us  stone  blind,  yet  the  poor  creatures  looked  de- 
lighted. These  being  also  declined,  he  next  took  it  into 
his  head  that  my  wife  wanted  a  new  parlor  carpet,  and, 
without  w^aiting  for  a  reply,  yea  or  nay,  ran  to  a  place 
on  the  counter  \vhere  several  huge  bolts  were  standing 
upright,  and  with  a  heavy  blow^  of  his  fist  he  tumbled  one 
of  the  largest  on  the  floor.  Cutting  the  threads  which 
confined  it,  in  an  instant,  he  stepped  back,  and  with  a 
monstrous  kick,  which  I  thought  would  have  disjointed 
every  toe  on  his  foot,  he  started  the  bolt  to  unfolding  itself 
at  a  most  rapid  and  furious  gate,  and  indeed  it  continued 
to  run  out  until  it  was  stopped  by  the  door  of  the  count- 
ing-room. The  figures  were  so  pretty,  and  the  quality 
so  fine,  that  Mrs.  Plainlove  at  once  decided  to  purchase 
a  carpet;  but  I  objected  peremptorily,,.because  of  the  im- 
possibility of  our  ever  getting  home  if  that  was  added  to 
the  present  load,  even  allowing  that  my  saddle-bags 
should  be  crowded  chock  full.  Our  friend,  however,  man- 
fully protested  that  he  could  so  pack  it  the  w^eight  would 
never  be  felt,  and  the  room  it  w^ould  take  just  nothing  at 
all.  So  the  carpet,  Mr.  Rambler,  was  bought,  and  it 
being  then  after  tw^o  o'clock,  we  prepared  at  last  to  start 
home. 

This  was,  though,  much  easier  prepared  for  than  exe- 
cuted, in  our  situation.     When  I  came  to  look  in  the  ba- 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  53 

rouche,  I  found  such  mountains  of  bundles  and  boxes  that 
I  utterly  despaired  of  seeing  my  women  so  squeezed  in 
as  to  be  comfortably  seated ;  and  even  if  we  succeeded 
in  that,  I  began  to  think  it  very  doubtful  whether  old 
Jerry,  exhausted  as  he  was,  could  prevail  on  his  team  to 
undertake  the  pulling  part. 

But  I  must  reserve  this,  Mr.  Rambler,  for  another  num- 
ber, having  extended  this  further  already  than  your  wor- 
thy publisher  may  fancy. 

Yours,  with  due  regard, 

PYNSENT  PLAINLOVE. 

Of  course,  my  dear  S ,  I  did*ot  calculate  other- 
wise when  beginning  these  sketches  than  that  I  should, 
in  time,  have  quite  a  number  of  collateral  correspondents, 
among  whom  I  value  none  higher  than  your  excellent 
and  simple-minded  friend  Mr.  Plainlove,  and  with  whom 
we  are  both  so  well  acquainted.  I  have  often  shared  his 
abundant  and  cheerful  hospitality,  and  though  his  dwell- 
ing may  not  be  always  easily  found,  yet  it  is  none  the 
less  pleasant  after  you  once  get  there ;  and  if  his  person 
shall  not  be  easily  identified,  it  is  because  his  visits  are 
always  unostentatious,  having  never  before  or  since  come 
to  town  with  his  family,  A  RAMBLER. 


54  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Mrs.  Winny  Wiggins,  in  a  letter  to  the  Rambler,  gives  an  account  of  her 
marital  wrongs,  with  a  thrust  at  Free  Masons,  Odd  Fellows,  and  Sons 
of  Temperance. 

I  HOPE,  my  dear  S ,  that  the  following  apropos  epis- 
tle, from  a  fair  correspondent,  will  not  be  considered  as  at 
alldeprecatory  of  that  commendable  spirit  of  benevolence 
which  characterizes  our  community  in  the  respect  alluded 
to  in  the  letter.  It  appears  to  be  simply  the  testimony 
of  a  plain  woman  regarding  a  praiseworthy  monomania^ 
which  prevails  quite  extensively  in  our  city. 

It  were  well  for  mankind,  my  dear  friend,  if  there  ex- 
isted no  more  harmful  species  of  mania,  and  its  existence 
and  popularity  here  is  doubtless  the  mainspring  to  that 
active  and  unparalleled  generosity  which  so  widely 
alleviates  distress  and  aids  misfortune,  and  which  renders 
Columbus  a  pleasant  abode  to  all  who  have  ever  experi- 
enced within  its  boundstheheavy-heartedness  of  adversity. 
But  for  fear  that  further  remarks  may  tend  to  prejudge  the 
matter  of  the  following  letter,  I  desist,  and  go  on  to 
transcribing  it  for  publication. 

Columbus,  April  IZth,  1849. 
To  THE  Author  of  the  Rambler  : — 

You  must  not  think  me  indelicately  forward  or  imper- 
tinent, Mr.  Rambler,  because  I  take  the  liberty  of  address- 


^^ 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  55 

ing  you  before  trying  to  find  out  who  and  what  you 
are.  I  shall  leave  to  others  the  agreeable  task  of  conjec- 
turing both  these,  not  deenning  them  at  all  important  to 
my  purpose,  which  is  to  ask  that  you  adopt  and  bring 
what  follows  before  the  public  in  a  suitable  and  receiva- 
ble shape.  I  am  not  used  to  writing  for  papers  ;  being 
a  plain  and  poorly  educated  woman  (like  the  majority 
of  my  unfortunate  sex,  to  the  shame  of  mankind),  with  a 
plenty  of  children  and  household  duties  to  occupy  my 
whole  time  and  attention.  But  if  I  cannot  round  off 
smooth  sentences,  and  string  together  metaphorical 
pearls,  I  trust  I  know,  at  least,  how  to  make  myself  un- 
derstood— which  is  not  to  be  said  (asking  your  pardon) 
of  all  who  write  now-a-days. 

It  is  not  customary, Mr.  Rambler,  for  ladies  todisclose 
their  ages,  but  I  will  begin  my  story  by  telling  you  that 
/  was  just  twenty-nine  yesterday.  I  was  married  near 
ten  years  ago  to  a  young  man  of  fine  habits  and  good 
business  turn,  who  was  tolerable  well  off  in  life,  and  Provi- 
dence has  blessed  our  union  with  nine  likely  children, 
who  are  alive  and  healthy  at  this  time. 

Before  removing  to  Columbus  (which  was  year  before 
last),  my  husband  kept  store  in  a  pretty  little  village  of 
Alabama,  and  people  never  lived  more  happily  than  we. 
My  husband  was  full  of  tenderness  and  attention,  and  I 
endeavored  to  perform  all  the  duties  of  a  good  and  devoted 
wife.  After  the  close  of  the  day's  labors,  ^d  when  the 
children  were  romping  and  rattling  through  the  humble  lit- 
tle cottage  which  we  had  rented,  it  used  to  bringtears  of  joy 
to  my  eyes  as  I  watched  his  cheerful  and  contented  looks. 
He  often  declared  to  me  then,  Mr.  Rambler,  that  the  sight 
of  my  face  (though,  indeed,  sir,  my  looks  are  but  home- 


56  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

]y),  at  such  moments  of  domestic  hilarity,  was  to  him  the 
loveliest  in  the  world,  and  that  no  out-of-door  pleasures 
could  ever  compensate  for  being  absent  from  that  happy 
circle  which  gathered  nightly  around  our  own  fireside. 
But  those  delightful  days  are  now  at  an  end,  and  I  shall 
always  lay  the  blame  to  our  removal  here. 

The  sources  of  unhappiness  in  my  situation  are  very 
different  from  those  of  other  unfortunate  married  persons. 
It  is  not  of  my  husband's  idleness  or  extravagance,  his 
ill  temper  or  his  avarice,  that  I  have  to  complain;  nei- 
ther does  it  proceed  from  diminution  of  our  conjugal 
affections,  or  disagreement  in  our  religious  or  domestic 
matters.  In  fact,  Mr.  Rambler,  the  cause  must  be  ex- 
plained at  large;  it  cannot  be  told  in  one  word,  or  ex- 
pressed in  any  single  term. 

You  must  know,  then,  that  about  three  months  after 
our  arrival  here,  my  husband  joined  the  church.  In  this 
I  heartily  sympathized,  and,  after  a  short  time,  followed 
his  good  example.  Our  circle  of  friends  soon  increased, 
and  all  went  on  smoothly  and  pleasantly  enough,  though 
I  could  not  help  regretting  that  my  husband  left  us  so  very 
often  of  nights  to  attend  prayer  meeting,  or  other  sorts 
of  meetings  connected  with  the  business  of  our  church. 
I  trust  that  the  indulgence  of  this  regret  was  not  wrong, 
but  what  with  absences  to  attend  these,  and  the  constant 
arrivals  of  strange  ministers  from  a  distance,  who  preached 
of  nights,  I  ^Idom  had  the  pleasure  of  enjoying  my  hus- 
band's company  after  tea,  and  already  began  to  look 
back  with  fondness  to  the  happy  days  of  our  early  mar- 
ried life,  when  every:  evening  brought  a  return  of  domestic 
bliss  around  our  quiet  fireside.     Alas!  little  did  I  dream 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  57 

then  of  what  I  would,  in  the  end,  be  compelled  to  under- 
go in  these  respects. 

A  month  or  two  subsequently  to  his  joining  the  church, 
I  observed  my  husband  busily  poring  over  a  little  pam- 
phlet, night  after  night,  when  he  was  at  home.  In  vain 
I  tried  to  overlook  him  unawares,  to  find  out  the  nature 
of  what  so  attracted  and  absorbed  his  attention.  He  was, 
however,  always  too  quick  for  me,  and  would  manage 
to  change  his  position  just  in  the  nick  of  time,  to  prevent 
my  getting  sight  of  a  single  word.  At  length,  one  eve- 
ning, directly  after  tea,  he  abruptly  left  us,  when  I  knew 
that  there  was  no  church  meeting,  and  was  absent  until 
long  after  the  nine  o'clock  bell  had  rung.  I  had  re- 
tired at  least  an  hour  before  he  came  in,  perfectly  tired 
out  with  wailing,  and  the  children  were  all  soundly 
asleep  on  the  trundle-bed.  On  returning,  he  undid  the 
door-bolt  without  the  slightest  creaking,  and  advancing 
cautiously  on  tiptoe  through  the  room,  whisked  off  his 
clothes  in  a  trice,  and  slid  softly  into  the  bed,  hoping  not 
to  awaken  any  one.  This  conduct  very  naturally  surprised 
me,  and  of  course  I  could  not  refrain  from  asking  where  in 
the  world  he  had  been.  Imagine  if  you  can,  Mr.  Ram- 
bler, the  consternation  and  despair  with  which  I  was 
seized,  when  he  informed  me  that  he  had  just  been  ini- 
tiated as  a  mason!  Heavens!  I  had  liked  to  havejumped 
out  of  my  skin,  and  so  far  from  sleeping,  I  did  not  so 
much  as  close  my  eyes  the  enduring  night,  and  suffered 
all  the  next  day  with  a  violent  headache  in  consequence. 
Here,  thought  I,  is  the  beginning,  truly,  of  the  end  to  our 
lovely  little  family  gatherings  and  cheerful  home-joys  ; 
and  although  my  husband  attempted  to  justify  the  step 
he  had  taken  on  the  score  of  usefulness  and  enlarged 


58  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

benevolence,  I  confess  that  I  was  far  from  being  recon- 
ciled. 

We  were  now  rarely  together  oftener  than  three  nights 
out  of  the  week,  and  the  pleasure  of  his  company  on 
these  occasions  was  al>vays  half  marred  by  the  thought  that 
others  now  divided  his  evening  hours  with  w^ife  and  chil- 
dren. But  this  is  not  all,  Mr.  Rambler.  A  day  or  two 
afterwards  I  had  occasion  to  ask  my  husband  for  ten 
dollars,  intending  to  gratify  my  baby,  and  relieve  myself 
of  such  constant  nursing,  by  purchasing  the  gum-elastic 

baby-jumper  which  Mr.  F r  had  advertised  as  the 

only  *'  one  of  the  same  sort  left,"  when  he  excused  him- 
self by  saying  that  he  really  w^as  short  of  money,  having 
just  paid  out  thirty  dollars  for  the  Blue-Lodge  degrees,  I 
did  not  then  reply,  but  you  may  rest  assured,  Mr.  Ram- 
bler, that  I  did  not  fail  to  think  what,  as  a  good  wife,  I 
was  unwilling  to  speak  out.  Well,  I  managed  to  digest 
my  chagrin  in  the  best  way  I  could,  and  \vas  beginning 
to  get  somewhat  used  to  this  state  of  existence,  when  my 
happiness  of  mind  was  again  invaded  by  a  shock  of  the 
same  character,  only  it  was  much  more  severe.  Not  sa- 
tisfied with  absenting  himself  to  prayer  meetings  (which 
w^as  proper  enough),  and  degree  meetings  at  the  Blue 
Lodge,  I  observed  that  my  husband  w^as  becoming  again 
abstracted  and  thoughtful,  and  in  less  than  a  week  after- 
wards I  missed  him  the  second  time,  for  three  mortal 
hours  after  supper.  My  fears  were  kindled  in  an  instant, 
and  I  tortured  myself  with  the  idea  that  another  step  w^as 
about  being  interposed  between  my  husband  and  his  fa- 
mily joys.  He  returned  much  about  the  same  time  as 
before,  and  went  through  the  same  precautionary  evolu- 
tions in  preparing  for  bed.     But  my  eyes  had  not  been 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  59 

once  closed,  and  again  I  surprised  him  by  inquiring 
where  on  earth  he  had  been  so  long.  He  answered  eva- 
sively at  first,  but  I  pressed  the  question  so  vigorously 
that  he  was  forced,  at  last,  fairly  to  own  he  had  just  joined 
the  Odd  Fellows.  Good  gracious,  Mr.  Rambler,  how  do 
you  suppose  I  received  this  news  ?  I  could  scarcely 
support  the  shock,  and  as  the  remembrance  of  the  dear 
lovely  evenings  at  home,  which  once  had  made  us  so 
happy,  floated  through  my  mind,  tears  came  involuntarily 
to  my  eyes,  and  sorrow  seated  herself  within  my  heart. 
Unable  to  perceive  the  least  degree  of  plausibility  in  the 
reiterated  argument  of  increased  benevolence,  and  more 
wide-spread  usefulness,  connected  with  this  last  Order, 
I  surrendered  to  the  woful  conviction  that  all  this  was  to 
be  purchased  at  the  expense  of  that  cheerful  comfort 
which  had  once  charmed  the  long  winter  night,  and 
caused  the  very  walls  of  our  little  cottage  to  smile  and 
look  glad. 

Again  was  another  night  or  two  of  the  week  snatched 
from  that  prized  list  which  had  been  formerly  all  ours,  and 
the  children  and  myself  had  to  make  the  best  of  it  we 
could.  But  this  was  not  all  in  this  instance  either.  It 
was  now  clever  winter  weather,  and  one  morning  at 
the  breakfast-table  I  begged  my  husband  to  attend  Mr. 

K r's  auction  that  night,  as  I  understood  things  were 

a-going  just  for  nothing  at  all,  and  buy  me  a  bolt  or  two 
of  linsey-woolsey  to  make  winter  frocks  for  the  girls,  and 
slips  for  the  little  boys.  Again  I  w^as  mortified  with  a 
refusal,  and  with  a  request  from  him  to  wait  awhile,  as  he 
had  been  forced  to  spend  ten  dollars  more  in  goingthrough 
the  initiatory  degree  of  Odd  Fellowship.  So,  thought  I 
(determined  to  keep  count  of  the  cost  from  this  day  forth). 


60  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

my  husband  has  thus  far  paid  forty  dollars  for  the  privi- 
lege of  being  benevolent  and  useful,  besides  the  weekly 
contributions  he  gives  to  these  two  fraternities,  which 
profess,  both,  the  same  objects ,  Winter  passed  and  spring 
came,  and  Columbus  was  literally  and  suddenly  put  all 
agog  about  Father  Mathew  and  the  Sons  of  Temperance. 
From  the  way  people  talked,  Mr.  Rambler,  I  really  ex- 
pected that  Mr.  S 1  and  Capt.  S n  would  make  a 

bonfire  of  all  their  fine  liquors  in  a  day  or  two,  as  a  grand 
holocaust  to  this  resurrected  phcEnix  of  Temperance. 
You  would  have  supposed  that  such  things  as  mint-juleps 
and  sherry-cobblers  would  never  again  sparkle  on  a  gen- 
tleman's sideboard,  and  that  Christmas  morning  would 
no  more  be  made  merry  by  bowls  of  foaming  egg-nog, 
and  tankards  of  bubbling  Tom  and  Jerry.  My  poor 
husband  was  transported  with  enthusiasm,  and,  although, 
as  I  y,erily  believe,  he  never  drank  so  much  as  a  pint  of 
ardent  spirits  in  his  whole  lifetime,  was  among  the  first 
who  stepped  forward  to  Jhrm  the  division.  To  all  my 
remonstrances  he  turned  an  inattentive  ear,  and  insisted 
that  I  should  even  throw  away  a  small  cask  of  sour  Te- 
neriffe,  which  I  had  kept  on  hand  to  flavor  my  sauces 
with.  He  declared  it  was  worse  than  arsenic  or  any 
poison,  and  announced  his  intention  to  make  spruce  beer 
and  ginger-pop  his  only  beverages  for  the  balance  of  his 
life.  To  my  very  natural  inquiry  why  he,  who  never 
used  spirituous  liquors,  should  wish  to  pay  his  money  and 
time  away  for  a  pledge,  he  returned  for  answer  that  it 
was  for  exampW^s  sake,  although,  I  assure  you,  Mr.  Ram- 
bler, that  his  mildness  and  tolerance  of  temper  are  such 
that  he  could  never  use  the  language  of  rebuke,  even 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  61 

though  a  drunken  man  should  annoy  him  for  half  a  day 
at  a  time. 

I  thought  all  this  very  proper  talk,  but  you  perceive, 
Mr.  Rambler,  that  it  was  only  another  step  towards  de- 
stroying, finally,  our  fireside  evening  gatherings,  and 
family  convivialities.  It  so  happened,  too,  a  short  time 
after  this  last  adventure  of  Mr.  Wiggins's,  that  I  was 
seized  with  a  distracting  toothache ;  and  when  I  asked 
him  to  step  around  to  the  drug  store  and  buy  me  a  vial 
of  the  drops  which  I  had  seen  a  cruel-looking  man,  with 
a  ctTnning  leer,  shaking  at  a  demure,  suffering  creature, 
who  was  painted  by  him  on  the  same  picture,  I  was  told 
that  his  last  spare  change  had  just  been  paid  out  for  the 
privilege  of  setting  a  good  example,  and  that  I  must  try 
to  ease  my  pain  with  laudanum  and  hot  poultices.  I 
think  you  will  agree  with  me,  Mr.  Rambler,  that  this  w^as 
more  than  even  the  best  of  wives  should  endure,  and  I 
felt  bound  to  let  him  have  a  piece  of  my  mind.  I  said 
that  I  could  not  see  why  a  man  should  w^ant  to  join  half 
a  dozen  Orders,  all  possessing  the  same  principles,  just 
to  learn  benevolence,  and  be  a  member  of  the  church 
too.  This  was  the  first  time  I  had  ever  tried  such  an  ex- 
periment, and  I  think  my  argument  stumped  him  for  a 
while;  but,  so  far  from  its  having  inspired  the  wholesome 
influence  I  looked  for,  guess  my  surprise,  Mr.  Rambler, 
when,  on  asking  for  a  spiall  sum,  soon  afterwards,  to  buy 
Jemima,  our  eldest  girl,  a  pair  of  Sunday  slippers,  I  was 
told  that  he  had  just  sent  in  his  last  loose  dollar  with  a 
petition  to  join  what  he  called  the  Fountain  !  His  excuse 
for  this  last  project  was  that  he  wished  to  encourage  the 
rising  generation. 
6 


62  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

Thus  you  see,  Mr.  Rambler,  that  I  have  witnessed, 
step  by  step,  the  gradual  decay  of  my  husband's  love  for 
his  former  domestic  pleasures  ;  and,  what  with  three  sorts 
of  Masonry,  two  kinds  of  Odd  Fellowship,  two  classes  of 
Temperance  Sons,  and  the  Lord  only  knows  how  many 
Fountains  (not  to  mention  the  weekly  prayer-meetings), 
my  last  hope  of  a  return  to  the  delightful  mode  of  life 
which  charmed  our  early  days  of  marriage  has  vanished. 
When  you  cast  into  account  that  the  days  are  all  taken 
up  in  attention  to  business,  you  will  believe  me  when  I 
say,  Mr.  Rambler,  that  I  never  see  my  husband  except 
at  meal-time  and  bed-time.  To  these,  I  thank  God,  he 
is  yet  quite  punctual,  but  how  long  it  will  be  before  this  in- 
ventive people  will  get  hold  of  some  other  plan  of  spoiling 
domestic  joys  I  am  not  able  to  say.  Indeed,  Mr.  Ram- 
bler, so  much  have  I  taken  these  manifold  deprivations 
to  heart,  that  the  sound  of  that  abominable  little  bell, 
dinging  and  donging  almost  every  blessed  evening,  to 
assemble  some  one  of  the  lodges,  always  throws  me  into 
a  nervous  fit,  which  I  fear  will  end  in  settled  hysterics. 
Some  two  or  three  months  ago,  I  felt  so  alarmed  at  the 
rapid  increase  of  this  malady,  which  has  seized  Mr.  Wig- 
gins, that  I  called  on  our  minister,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Ezekiel 
Maultext,  and  dutifully  laid  my  complaints  before  him 
for  counsel  and  advice.  He  positively  declined  taking 
any  part,  saying  that  Mr.  Wiggins  was  exemplary  as  a 
man  and  Christian,  and  even  insinuated  that  /  should 
pray  for  a  contented  and  calm  mind.  Thus,  failing  in 
everything  else,  Mr.  Rambler,  I  determined  to  give  him 
a  view  of  himself  in  your  moral  looking-glass,  hoping 
some  good  effect  may  be  produced.     If  such  shall  be  the 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  63 

l^appy  consequences  of  your  publishing  this  letter,  you 
will  insure  the  lasting  gratitude  of  a  disconsolate  wife. 
^  Yours,  &c. 

WINNY  WIGGINS. 

I  am  half  inclined,  dear  S ,  after  a  careful  examina- 
tion of  the  foregoing  letter,  to  agree  with  the  prudent  Mr. 
Maultext  in  his  opinion  of  the  true  remedy  necessary  to 
reconcile  the  disconsolate  Mrs.  Wiggins.  It  is  clear  that 
my  correspondent  does  not  understand  the  nature  and 
polity  of  the  excellent  institutions  she  complains  about ; 
and,  although  we  may  be  inclined  to  coincide  with  her  at 
first  about  the  taste  of  joining  all  of  them  when,  perhaps, 
any  one  ought  to  have  satisfied  his  benevolent  thirst,  yet 
we  must  not  rashly  condemn  Mr.  Wiggins,  who  will, 
doubtless,  take  an  early  occasion  to  vindicate  himself. 
We  should  be  careful  about  believing  that  so  worthy  a 
man  could  coldly  neglect  his  family  duties,  and,  from 
mere  idle  curiosity,  *'  seek  to  run  a  muck"  through  all 
these  meritorious  fraternities.  I  will  not  deny  but  what 
I  think  there  is  much  good  sense,  and  vastly  more  truth, 
in  the  old  maxim,  '*  a  Jack  at  all  trades,  and  master  of 
none;"  and  I  am  prepared  to  admit  that  there  is  danger  in 
subdividing  our  interests  and  sympathies.  It  is  a  policy 
iir  adapted  to  develop  that  unity  of  strength  so  essential 
in  perfecting  all  useful  projects,  and  may  beget  a  rest- 
lessness and  inconstancy  of  mind  seriously  deleterious 
in  their  results.  It  certainly  tends  to  weaken  salutary 
influence  in  any  one  sphere,  and  to  inspire  a  species  of 
distrust  even  with  the  least  severe  and  suspixiious.  A 
man  would  do  poor  business  w^ho  undertakes  to  do,  all  in 
the  same  breath,  the  work  of  doctor,  and  lawyer,  and 


64  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

parson,  while  he  professes  to  be  a  planter.  His  neigh- 
bors would  be  induced  to  question  the  depth  of  his  inte- 
rest in  any  one  of  these  callings,  and  to  doubt  his  sincerity 

in  all.     But  I  hope,  dear  S ,  that  Mr.  Wiggins  will  not 

take  these  remarks  as  intended  to  aim  at  him.  They  are 
thrown  out  merely  by  way  of  general  annunciation,  and 
I  would  not,  for  the  world,  be  thought  capable  of  at- 
tempting to  prejudge  his  defence.  I  have  no  doubt  but 
that  he  will  make  all  appear  straight  and  justifiable. 

A  RAMBLER. 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  65 


CHAPTER   VI. 

Mr.  Mansfield  Coke,  in  a  letter  to  the  Rambler,  describes  his  first  ap- 
pearance in  the  circles  of  the  elite. 

Blackstoneyille,  Ala.,  May  Vlthy  1849. 
To  THE  Author  of  the  Rambler  : — 

Having  learned  from  a  friend,  sir,  that  you  were  en- 
gaged in  compiling  a  number  of  sketches  for  the  amuse- 
ment and  edification  of  the  public,  I  make  bold,  without 
w^aiting  for  a  ceremonious  introduction,  to  send  you  the 
following,  w^ith  the  humble  hope  that  it  may  be  found  to 
suit  your  purpose. 

T  know  not  if  you  will  recognize  me — but  several  years 
ago  I  was  a  law  student  in  your  city,  and  had  the  plea- 
sure to  meet  with  you  on  several  occasions,  though  no 
formal  acquaintance  was  made ;  and  I  studied  in  the  office 
of  one  of  your  most  prominent  lawyers,  who  kindly  in- 
structed me  without  remuneration,  and  through  my  con- 
nection with  him  was  occasionally  introduced  into  some 
of  the  most  accomplished  and  fashionable  families  of  the 
city.  Twas  the  son  of  poor  parents,  and  had  been  raised 
very  plainly.  When  I  had  reached  about  my  fifteenth 
year,  it  happened  that  a  strolling  phrenologist  passed  my 
father's  house,  and,  it  being  quite  late,  made  application 
to  spend  the  night.  This  could  not  be  refused,  and  after 
supper  he  approached  my.  seat,  and  running  his  fingers 
inquisitively  about  various  parts  of  my  head,  put  on  a 

6* 


66  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

face  of  astonishment,  as  though  he  had  raade  some  great 
discovery.     My  father,  who  was  rather  a  choleric  old 
gentleman,  took  it  into  hi^  head  that  the  fellow  was  mak- 
ing game  of  me  in  our  own  house,  and  doubled  his  right 
fist  quite  ominously  ;  at  which  the  operator  only  laughed, 
and  then  said  he  had  been  examining  the  organs  of  my 
head.     He  declared  that  the  developments  were  extraordi- 
nary, and  rubbed  his  fingers  over  several  hard  knots,  which 
he  declared  to  be  certain  evidences  of  genius.     Upon  this, 
my  father  and  mother  followed  in  the  examination,  and, 
believing  most  implicitly  everything  that  was  told  them, 
began  right  away  to  calculate  their  abilities  to  give  me 
a  good  education.     All  this  soon  transpired  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, and  I  became  the  wonder  of  the  girls,  and  the 
envy  of  the  lads.     I  was  the  hero  of  all  the  quilting  par- 
ties, and  led  off  in  every  dance  with  the  choice  partners 
in  the  room.     In  short,  I  was  generally  recognized  as 
the  big  spark  of  the  range,  and  when  it  was  announced 
that  I  was  soon  to  start  to  a  classical  school  far  distant, 
preparatory  to  entering  upon  the  study  of  the  law,  the 
deference  to   my  person   was  increased,   and   my  head 
began  to  swell.     I  worshiped  phrenology  as  a  hidden 
mystery,  and  blessed  the  day  when  its  votary  chanced  to 
straggle  under  my  father's  humble  roof. 

In  the  course  of  a  year  or  so,  I  was  taken  from  school, 
and,  as  I  have  said,  entered,  a  student,  with  one  of  the 
members  of  your  bar,  in  Columbus.  I  did  not  find  that 
my  uncommon  skull  developments  set  me  ahead  in  the 
least  when  I  came  in  contact  with  the  dashy  young  gen- 
tlemen and  brilliant  ladies  of  that  agreeable  place.  On 
the  contrary,  whenever  I  went  to  church,  or  accepted  an 
invitation  to  a  private  house,  I  felt  a  degree  of  awkward- 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  67 

ness  which  was  extremely  unpleasant  to  one  of  my  mo- 
dest disposition,  especially  when  contrasted  with  the  high 
figure  I  had  cut  of  late  years  amongst  the  honest,  simple 
neighbors  at  home.  To  tell  the  truth,  sir,  I  was  bound 
fairly  to  acknowledge  to  a  friend  my  perfect  greenness, 

I  was  sitting  quietly  one  spring  morning  in  my  office, 
poring  over  a  page  of  old  Chitty's  Pleading,  more  than 
usually  fertile  in  pompous  technicalities,  when  my  friend 
across  the  passage,  who  had  already  been  admitted  to 
the  practice,  entered  suddenly,  and  startled  me  with  ask- 
ing ''if  I  had  a  horse  to  ride  to  the  fete  on  Thursday 
evening,^'*  As  (I  found  afterwards)  this  was  a  Provin- 
cialism entirely  peculiar  to  city  life  {d  la  mode)^  I  did 
not  understand  any  more  what  he  meant  than  if  he  had 
addressed  me  in  Dutch  or  Congo.  All  was,  however, 
presently  explained,  for  he  had  scarcely  asked  before  a 
bright,  smiling  servant-boy  tapped  at  the  door,  and,  in- 
quiring for  me  by  name,  thrust  before  me  a  nicely-em- 
broidered French  basket,  filled  with  what  I  took  to  be  a 
number  of  golden  edged  notes,  all  adorned  with  pretty 
figures  and  mottoes.  I  really  thought  that  it  had  been  the 
intention  of  some  one  to  make  me  a  general  delivery 
agent,  and  under  this  impression  ordered  the  servant 
to  empty  the  contents  in  a  large  pine  box  under  the  table. 
A  broad  stare  was  all  the  answer  he  gave,  and,  had  not 
my  friend  broken  into  a  loud  laugh,  I  believe  I  should 
have  given  the  fellow  a  buffet  on  the  head  for  his  impu- 
dent looks ;  but,  on  glancing  accidentally  in  the  basket, 
and  seeing  my  name  on  the  back  of  one  of  his  notes,  it 
all  at  once  occurred  to  me  that  it  might  be  a  party  ticket. 
It  proved  to  be  such,  for,  on  opening  the  envelop,  a  little 


68  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

bit  of  a  nice  sheet  of  paper  dropped  out,  inside  of  which 
was  the  following  : — 

"  Mrs.  Blanche  Lyttleton,  at  home  on  Thursday  eve- 
ning, May  23,  184—" 

Away  off  in  one  corner,  I  observed  the  word  *^  dancing" 
in  brackets,  which  I  did  not  exactly  understand,  and 
resolving  to  ask  immediate  explanation  of  my  friend,  I 
dismissed  the  servant  w^ith  a  message  (and  my  thanks) 
to  his  mistress,  to  the  effect  that  I  would  be  there  if 
well. 

I  could  neither  make  out  the  sense  of  being  '*  at  home" 
without  saying  w^hether  she  was  going  to  give  a  tea-party 
or  what,  nor  why  Mr.  Lyttleton  did  not  join  in  the  busi- 
ness. But  w^hen  my  friend  restrained  his  mirth  sufficient- 
ly to  unravel  these  mysteries  to  me,  and  I  was  informed 
that  such  was  \ht  fashionable  w^ay  of  asking  to  parties,  I 
saw  through  the  whole  matter  at  once,  and  was  fairly 
charmed  with  the  account  he  gave  of  this  fine  lady  and 
her  parties.  No  one  could  make  up  so  many  nice  eata- 
bles! no  one  had  such  elegant  wines!  and  no  one  could 
bring  together  so  many  pretty  girls,  or  have  such  merry 
dances,  as  Mrs.  Blanche  Lyttleton  !  I  saw,  already,  whole 
mountains  of  snow-white  cakes,  and  my  mouth  was  fairly 
overflowed  with  water  at  the  thoughts  of  that  sparkling 
liquor ;  whilst  kindling  fancy  pictured  some  lovely  dam- 
sel, blazing  in  lace  and  jewelry,  already  smitten  with  my 
fine  appearance,  for  I  was  universally  conceded  to  be  the 
crack  dancer  in  my  ow^n  village  of  Blackstoneville.  A 
w^arm  glow  spread  over  my  whole  body  as  those  raptur- 
ous and  inspiring  pictures  floated  through  my  mind;  and 
as  it  was  only  a  night  and  day  to  the  time  appointed,  I 
resolved  to  live  sparingly  in  diet,  so  that  I  might  be  in 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  69 

proper  trim  for  the  splendid  feast  I  so  anxiously  antici- 
pated. 

Filled  with  these  booming  thoughts,  and  taking  no  little 
consequence  to  myself  in  having  so  engaged  the  attention 
of  this  fine  lady  as  to  be  thought  worthy  of  an  invitation, 
I  began  to  wash  atid  dress  on  the  evening  in  question 
full  two  hours  before  sunset,  fearing  that  I  might  be  too 
late  for  the  first  table.  I  completed  my  toilet  just  at  clever 
dusk,  and,  thinking  it  high  time  to  be  off,  I  left  my  room 
and  took  the  direction  of  Mr.  Lyttleton's  house.  When 
I  got  there,  I  was  somewhat  taken  aback  at  not  seeing  a 
solitary  light  on  the  lower  floors,  nor  any  signs  of  bustle 
or  of  company  anywhere  about.  I  passed  on  beyond  the 
gate,  and,  happening  to  look  over  into  the  yard,  I  saw  the 
same  sprightly  fellow  who  had  brought  me  the  ticket 
walking  briskly  from  the  kitchen  to  the  house,  with  a 
large  waiter  filled  with  heaps  of  the  nicest  and  whitest 
cake  I  ever  beheld.  This  again  took  me  aback  in  a  dif- 
ferent way,  for  my  heart  quaked  with  the  fear  that  supper 
was  going  on,  and  that  I  had,  at  last,  overstaid  the  time. 
So  I  halloed  to  the  negro,  and  inquired  if  the  party  had 
commenced,  and  whether  all  the  people  had  come.  The 
fellow  made  no  positive  reply,  but  with  a  polite  duck  of 
the  head  asked  me  to  walk  into  the  gallery  and  take  a 
seat. 

I  had  been  seated  only  a  few  moments  when,  to  my 
utter  surprise,  Mr.  Lyttleton  himself  entered  the  gate  in 
his  every-day  clothes,  evidently  just  from  his  oflBce  up 
town,  and  seeming  to  be  occupied  with  anything  else 
than  thoughts  of  a  tea-party.  I  thought  he  started 
slightly  on  observing  me  snugly  seated  in  his  gallery ; 
but,  as  he  was  among  the  politest  men  I  ever  knew,  he 


70  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

soon  recovered,  and  expressed  the  greatest  degree  of 
pleasure  at  seeing  me,  begging  that  I  would  excuse  him 
for  a  few  moments,  as  he  w^ould  soon  be  dressed.  Now, 
as  we  had  been  accustomed  at  Blackstoneville  always 
to  gather  at  parties  at  least  by  sunset,  you  may  well 
imagine  that  I  felt  somewhat  queer  and  dubious  to  find  ^ 
the  gentleman  of  the  house  coming  home  at  this  late*  * 
hour  to  dress.  Still,  there  was  no  remedy  but  to  sit  still, 
with  eyes  wide  open,  and  observe  the  course  of  things ; 
and  thus,  sir,  I  sat  for  one  long  hour  after  another,  won- 
dering and  impatient  enough,  until  at  last  I  heard  the 
nine  o'clock  bell  ring.  Just  then  a  large  flashy  carriage 
drove  up  before  the  gate,  and  Mr.  Lyttleton  (who  had 
been  politely  sitting  with  me  the  last  hour  and  a  half) 
walked  out  to  meet  those  who  were  about  to  alight  from 
it.  To  my  surprise,  however,  only  a  single  lady  was 
inside,  and,  as  she  swept  into  the  house,  I  caught  sight 
of  the  prettiest  blue  eyes  I  ever  beheld,  and  heard  her 
laughingly  tell  Mr.  Lyttleton  that  she  had  hurried  off 
rather  early^  so  as  to  get  there  in  time  to  help  Mrs.  Lyt- 
tleton prepare  for  the  reception  of  the  company!  My 
God,  sir,  I  was  positively  shocked !  Here  was  a  lady, 
arrived  after  usual  bedtime,  apologizing  for  having 
come  so  soon,  and  1,  hapless  mortal,  had  been  quietly 
waiting  for  the  party  ever  since  clever  dusk!  This, 
thought  I,  w^ould- set  all  Blackstoneville  in  ablaze  of 
wonder — getting  together  to  dance  and  frolic  after  the 
finest  part  of  the  night  was  gone. 

In  less  than  fifteen  minutes  after  this,  at  least  fifty  car- 
riages had  come  up,  filled  with  ladies  and  gentlemen, 
whilst  there  was  no  end  to  those  who  came  afoot,  though 
these  were  pretty  much  all  gentlemen.     I  still  kept  my 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  71 

seat  at  the  side  of  tlie  door,  and  had  a  fair  chance  to  see 
every  lady  as  she  passed  in,  for  there  was  the  brightest 
sort  of  a  lamp  swung  up  just  in  the  centre  of  the  passage 
inside.  As  yet,  I  had  not  caught  a  glimpse  of  Mrs. 
Blanche  Lyttleton,  for  neither  she  nor  her  husband,  to 
my  utter  astonishment,  stood  at  the  door  to  receive  the 
company.  Only  two  servants  were  there,  one  of  whom 
took  the  hats,  and  the  other,  a  tidy-looking  yellow  girl, 
conducted  the  ladies  through  to  a  different  part  of  the 
house.  In  a  few  minutes,  however,  both  parlors  and  the 
passage  were  crowded,  and  I  never  in  my  life  heard 
such  a  buzzing  and  fussing.  At  Blackstoneville,  we 
always  sat  pretty  silent  until  "Grind  the  bottle,"  or  "Sis- 
ter Phoebe  one"  was  proposed,  and  it  was  only  after  we 
played  both  of  these  that  dancing  began. 

At  the  end  of  an  hour  or  so,  Mr.  Lyttleton,  observing 
that  I  was  too  modest  to  move  about  much  where  I  knew 
so  few,  came  up  and  insisted  that  I  should  go  with  him 
into  one  of  the  saloons,  and  be  introduced  to  the  ladies. 
I  of  course  did  not  decline  the  obliging  offer,  especially 
as  I  had  taken  so  much  pains  to  rig  myself  out  for  the 
occasion.  One  thing,  however,  caused  me  to  misgive  a 
little.  Thinking  it  was  to  be  a  regular  dancing  affair,  I 
had,  according  to  our  way  at  Blackstoneville,  fixed  up  for 
the  very  purpose,  and  had  bought  a  nice  limber  pair  of 
Morocco  pumps  and  silk  stockings,  in  order  to  have  the 
free  use  of  my  feet.  I  had  also  made  my  washerwoman 
do  up  my  favorite  ruffle  shirt  (which  used  to  catch  the 
eye  of  all  our  village  girls),  and  had  brought  the  safety- 
chain  of  my  watch  gracefully  over  the  plaits  confined  by 
a  neat  breastpin.  But  when  I  entered  the  room,  T  saw 
that  every  gentleman  present  had  on  high-heeled  boots 


72  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

just  the  same  as  if  they  had  been  going  to  church,  and 
instead  of  ruffles  most  of  their  waistcoats  buttoned  up 
halfway  to  the  cravat.  I  could  not  but  notice  all  this, 
and  felt  that  I  was  rather  awkwardly  situated,  for  my 
feet  especially  would  be  seen  to  attract  universal  atten- 
tion with  such  a  contrast  against  them.  I  was  tolerably 
proud,  however,  and  felt  my  own  importance  rather  too 
much  to  allow  such  a  matter  seriously  to  disturb  me,  and 
so  swung  through  the  crowd  with  quite  an  air.  Presently 
w^e  stopped  in  front  of  a  sweet-looking  lady  (the  same  I 
had  seen  arrive  first),  seated  on  a  something  I  could  not 
see — for  her  frock  covered  up  the  whole  concern — and 
Mr.  Lyttleton  introduced  me  as  his  young  friend  to  Miss 
Russell,  who  welcomed  me  with  one  of  the  prettiest 
smiles  that  ever  dimpled  a  woman's  cheek.  One  or  two 
gentlemen  were  standing  before  her  when  my  introduc- 
tion took  place  ;  but  they  soon  managed  to  glide  softly 
away,  and  in  a  few  moments,  rather  to  my  confusion,  I 
found  myself  standing  in  the  middle  of  a  large  room  filled 
with  fine  ladies,  face  to  face  with  one  whose  every  glance 
went  plunge  through  me,  and  no  one  else  near,  and  most 
everybody  else  seated.  I  gave  one  startled  look  around, 
and  then  my  eyes  fell.  Every  eye,  I  made  sure,  was 
now  fixed  on  my  feet,  with  their  pumps  and  silk  stockings 
shockingly  exposed  to  a  sweeping  view  on  all  sides.  I 
contrived  to  stuff  away  my  starched  ruffles  so  as  almost 
to  hide  them  ;  and  then,  to  keep  my  hands  from  dangling 
and  fidgeting  about,  I  gathered  hold  of  my  safety-chain, 
and  twirled  the  watch-key  on  it  around  and  around  at  a 
furious  rate.  How  I  longed,  for  the  moment,  to  be  at  my 
own   Blackstoneville,  leading  down   the  merry  country 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  73 

dance  with  romping  Ecsy  Sims  or  Patsy  Callihan,  the 
admired  on  all  hands,  the  very  lion  of  the  night! 

I  was  partially  relieved  in  a  short  time  by  hearing  all 
at  once  the  inspiring  sound  of  violins  in  an  adjoining 
room,  and  this  easily  explained  the  cause  of  the  sudden 
evacuation  by  the  younger  couples  of  the  one  in  which  I 
had  been  left.  Miss  Russell  bounced  up  from  the  stool 
she  was  sitting  on  in  a  trice,  and  then,  throwing  her  arm 
through  mine  w^ith  a  touch  of  her  soft  hand  that  almost 
made  me  swoon  w4th  ecstasy,  puposed  that  we  should 
go  and  join  the  dancers.  I  had  many  a  time,  sir,  play- 
fully handled  our  girls  at  Blackstoneville,  and  they  had 
given  me  many  a  sly,  substantial  squeeze  ;  but  I  never 
shivered  before  like  I  did  whilst  that  warm,  snow-white 
arm,  shining  with  little  jeweled  belts,  rested  in  mine. 
Sometimes  the  touch  was  so  very  slight  as  scarcely  to  be 
felt  at  all;  and  then,  again,  she  could  manage,  the  pret- 
tiest in  the  world,  to  press  down  the  whole  weight  on 
mine  in  such  a  way  that  I  really  feared  my  nerves  would 
jar  me  to  death.  And  once,  when  a  parcel  of  gentlemen 
were  rudely  crowding  past,  as  she  grazed  my  shoulder 
with  a  touch  of  her  own,  all  naked  smartly  below  the 
joint,  a  fit  of  perfect  blindness  came  over  my  eyes,  and 
I  involuntarily  grasped  her  hand  to  keep  from  sinking. 
This  had  nearly  finished  me  right  away,  for  my  fingers, 
no^natter  how,  once  clutched  around  that  soft  and 
glowing  piece  of  flesh,  I  could  no  more  unclasp  them 
of  myself  than  could  one,  unaided,  release  his  hold  from 
the  handles  of.  a  heavily-charged  galvanic  machine. 
Good  Lord — thought  I,  sighing — there  never  was,  and 
never  can  be,  anything  in  Blackstoneville  to  hold  even  a 
light  to  such  as  this  !     To  tell  the  truth,  sir,  I  was  begin- 


74  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

ning  to  bless  myself  at  being  in  high  life,  and  to  thank 
Mrs.  Blanche  Lyttleton  for  her  ticket  from  the  very  bot- 
tom of  my  heart.  I  forgot  all  about  the  pumps,  the  silk 
stockings,  and  the  stiff  ruffles  in  my  bosom. 

When  I  came  to  my  proper  senses  again,  I  found  that 
the  sweet  creature  had  gently  and*  unconsciously  to  me 
disengaged  her  hand,  and  that  we  were  standing  face  to 
face  with  another  couple  across  the  way,  with  two  others 
paired  off  on  each  side,  forming  what  I  heard  them  call 
a  cotillion.  I  was  perfectly  riddled  with  these  arrange- 
ments, for  we  had  never  danced  any  outlandish  dances  at 
Blackstoneville. 

but  when  I  heard  the  fiddlers  strike  up,  with  a  mea- 
sure and  time  wholly  unknown  to  me  in  dancing,  and 
one  of  them  exclaim,  at  the  top  of  his  voice,  something 
about  balancing  A,  and  swinging  corners,  and  forward- 
ing two,  and  then  crossing  over  to  leave  your  partner, 
and  then  again  forwarding  three,  and  forwarding  one, 
and  shassay,  and  promenade— I  w^as  perfectly  done  up. 
My  bewilderment  was  complete  when  the  charming  crea- 
ture by  my  side  whispered  that  they  were  going  to  dance 
the  ^^  prisoner."  Notwithstanding  all  this,  however,  I 
determined  to  put  on  a  proper  face,  and  so  demean  my- 
self in  the  dancing  part  as  to  make  full  amends  for  any 
ignorance  of  the  figure.  But  when  the  first  couple  bejjan 
to  move  to  the  music,  I  was  astonished  to  see  both  lafnes 
and  gentlemen  merely  slip  and  slide  about  as  if  theyw^ere 
afraid  of  a  fall.  I  thought,  however,  that  this  might  be 
only  their  way  of  getting  ready  for  the  high  flourishes. 
At  any  rate,  I  felt  that  I  could  beat  such  bending  and 
twisting  as  that  all  hollow,  and  began  to  pique  myself  on 
having  so  lovely  a  partner  to  witness  my  accomplishments 


r 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  75 

and  agility.  But  one  thing  bothered  me  excessively.  I 
did  not  know  how  to  do  the  swinging,  or  shassaying  (as 
they  called  it),  or  balancing ;  and  I  w^as  totally  at  a  loss 
how  to  accommodate  myself  to  the  time  of  the  tune,  or 
tunes — for  they  kept  changing  them  about  at  every  step. 
However,  I  made  out  very  well  until,  on  crossing  over  once 
with  my  partner,  she  was  suddenly  seized  and  detained 
by  the  gentleman  opposite,  leaving  me  standing  in  my 
place  all  alone.  But  presently  they  all  three,  in  a  bunch, 
came  sailing  and  slipping  over  to  me  in  high  glee,  my 
partner  both  times  smiling  most  alluringly  at  me  as  she 
came  up.  It  suddenly  occurred  to  me  now  that,  as  she 
was  there  a  prisoner,  the  gist  of  the  figure  w^as  to  make 
a  full  grab  for  her  as  she  neared  me,  and  wrest  her  from 
captivity.  I  accordingly  prepared  to  do  as  much,  when, 
to  my  utter  consternation,  the  fiddler  sung  out  '^forward 
oneP^  Several  times,  during  the  progress  of  the  dance, 
I  thought  I  had  detected  a  half  smile  playing  over  the 
mouth  of  one  or  two  in  the  cotillion  ;  and  now,  as  I  stood 
staring  for  a  moment,  not  knowing  exactly  what  to  do 
(for  I  was  the  first  who  had  been  called  on  to  go  it  alone), 
my  suspicions  were  verified.  This  determined  me  to  make 
a  venture,  and  to  chaqge  their  mirth  into  envy  by  a 
display  of  skill  which,  I  felt  sure,  from  the  specimens 
of  dancing  I  had  witnessed,  would  properly  surprise  them. 
So,  with  a  nimble  skip  to  the  right,  I  cut  the  flying  pigeon 
wing  at  the  height  of  full  half  a  foot  from  the  floor;  and 
then,  bounding  over  to  the  left  with  a  single  spring, 
struck  off  the  double  shuffle  at  a  rate  which  would  have 
distanced  the  best  jig  time.  I  had  intended  to  go 
around  the  whole  circle,  before  stopping  to  get  my  partner, 
with  my  favorite  step  of  hoeing  the  corn ,  but  I  was  suddenly 


'^\ii^: 


76  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

arrested  in  mid  career  in  a  manner  which  soon  brought 
the  stinging  blushes  to  my  face.  These  extra  and  unex- 
pected capers  of  mine  (for  so  I  learn  all  genuine  dancing 
is  denominated  now-a-days)  had  been  too  much  even  for 
the  amiable  and  truly  polished  company  before  whom 
I  was  performing;  and  as  I  paused  in  the  double  shuffle, 
to  change  step,  the  music  suddenly  and  sharply  ceased, 
and  all  around,  fiddlers,  as  Avell  as  others,  seemed  con- 
vulsed with  uncontrollable  laughter — in  which,  despite  my 
mortification,  I  was  obliged  to  join.  All  passed  oflT  good- 
humoredly.  There  was  nothing  oflTensive  or  unbecoming 
in  the  mirth,  for,  among  those  who  had  come  in  from  the 
other  rooms  to  look  at1he  dance,  w^as  the  grave  and  dig- 
nified gentleman  in  whose  ofl&ce  I  was  reading,  and  w^hose 
portly  sides  were  shaking  w^ith  laughter  at  my  expense. 

This  closed  my  experiments,  as  you  may  w^ell  imagine, 
sir,  in  the  dancing  line,  at  least  among  the  elite,  I  found 
that  character  and  reputation  in  one  place  were  by  no  means 
a  sure  passport  in  another.  The  skill  and  agility  which 
would  have  set  the  head  of  every  man  and  woman  in 
Blackstoneville  all  agog  with  wonder  and  envy  produced 
here  the  most  poignant  and  mortifying  ridicule. 

After  dancing  a  hundred  different  other  figures,  pretty 
much  after  the  same  fashion  of  the  first.  Miss  Russell, 
who  declined  all  other  solicitation,  on  purpose  to  give  me 
the  pleasure  of  waiting  on  her,  managed  to  inform  me 
that  the  couples  were  making  way  to  the  supper  room, 
and  that  I  must  accompany  her.  I  did  not  require  a 
second  hint,  for  by  this  time,  it  being  full  one  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  my  appetite  was  properly  whetted,  having 
tasted  nothing  since  an  early  breakfast  on  purpose  that 
I  might  enjoy  the  party  supper.     Indeed,  I  had  been  in 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  77 

despair  for  an  hour  or  two,  or  more,  fearing  that  we  were 
to  have  nothing  more  substantial  than  the  cake  and  wine 
and  lemonade  which  had  been  several  times  handed 
around  in  the  course  of  the  evening,  though  I  had  re- 
lished them  even  not  a  little.  But  we  had  scarcely  now^ 
cleared  the  dancing  room  before  my  smell  was  charmed 
with  most  delicious  scents  of  turkeys,  and  salads,  and 
savory  old  bacon,  and  a  variety  of  other  eatables,  easily 
distinguishable  by  their  fragrant  odors,  all  which  caused 
my  tongue  fairly  to  swim  inside  of  the  mouth,  and  created 
an  eagerness  to  press  forward  which  I  could  hardly  con- 
trol. So  keen  had  my  long  fast  made  me  to  take  hold, 
that  I  was  almost  insensible  to  the  touch  of  that  same 
sweet  arm  which  still  rested  in  mine ;  and  although  in 
the  crowd  the  lovely  creature  was  pressed  once  or  twice 
full  tilt  against  me,  the  gnawings  of  an  empty  stomach 
aided  me  this  time  in  resisting  the  enchantment,  and 
deadened  every  sense  save  that  of  the  most  longing  ap- 
petite. 

The  sight  which  greeted  my  eyes  on  entering  more 
than  equaled  the  expectations  created  by  the  luscious 
heraldry  of  fragrance  which  had  floated  through  the  pass- 
age. In  the  midst  of  lofty  mounds  and  pyramids  of  cakes, 
w^ere  seen  large  bowls  of  saffron- colored  custard,  with 
snowy  flakes  floating  on  top,  with  whole  hosts  of  odorous 
strawberries  scattered  around,  and  at  regular  distances 
silver  baskets,  filled  with  oranges  and  bananas,  and  other 
fruits;  whilst  at  every  pace  or  two  decanters  of  sparkling 
wine  sent  forth  their  delicious  flavor.  There  was  no  end 
to  the  plates  of  snow-balls,  and  hearts,  and  sweet  wafers, 
and  candies;  and,  thickly  interstrew^ed,  there  were  tempt- 
ing piles  of  sliced  pineapple,  filling  the  whole  room  with 

7* 


% 

78  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

their  enticing  fragrance.  "  Jewhillikin  !"  thought  I,  sur- 
veying this  bounteous  and  beautiful  display,  "this  is  a 
long  trot  ahead  of  anything  ever  seen  in  Blackstoneville, 
and  Mrs.  Blanche  Lyttleton  trips  up  Ecsy  and  Patty  in 
short  order!"  I  would  have  given  something  more  than 
a  trifle  if  the  poor  girls  could  have  been  present,  though 
i  verily  believe,  sir,  it  would  have  run  them  crazy. 

But  the  cream  of  the  supper  had  not  yet  been  shown. 
As  soon  as  the  company  w^as  pretty  well  arranged  all  up  and 
down  the  tables,  I  saw  the  servants  lift  off  the  tops  from 
several  large  tureens  on  a  side  table,  and  a  savory  steam 
immediately  circulated  through  the  room  which  fairly  ra- 
vished me,  and  I  could  hardly  contain  myself  within  decent 
bounds  of  behavior.  My  fair  partner  brought  me  to 
myself  by  smilingly  desiring  me  to  bring  her  a  plate  of 
gumbo,  and  as  this  request  exactly  hit  my  own  taste,  I 
set  off  at  a  rapid  pace  to  obey  her.  I  made  my  way 
through  the  crowd,  gathered  a  couple  of  plates,  had  them 
filled  in  a  trice  of  time,  and,  returning  at  full  speed,  pre- 
sented one  mess  to  my  partner,  and,  had  it  been  the 
last  act  of  my  life,  I  had  been  obliged  to  dispatch  the 
other. 

In  short,  not  to  worry  you  with  a  fuller  account  of  the 
progress  we  made  at  the  supper  table,  I  will  just  say 
that  between  the  meats  and  the  cakes  I  took  a  full  revenge 
for  my  intolerably  long  fast.  Among  those  who  officiated 
at  the  gumbo  tables,  I  had  noticed  a  stiff  and  stately 
lady,  whose  studied  politeness  and  bland  manners  caused 
me  to  pay  my  obeisance  to  her  as  the  hostess,  for  she 
w^as  just  the  sort  of  personage  I  had  imagined  the  famous 
Mrs.  Blanche  Lyttleton  to  be.  But  I  was  much  mis- 
taken.    On  leaving  the  supper  room,  we  encountered,  in 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  79 

the  passage,  a  group  of  several  gentlemen  engaged  in 
lively  conversatian  with  a  sprightly,  fair-haired,  bright- 
eyed  lady,  dressed  with  singular  taste  and  neatness,  but 
rather  below  the  medium  height,  whose  clear,  merry 
laugh  rang  in  my  ear  like  music.  I  was  struck  with  her 
vivacity  and  graceful  manner  of  conversation,  and  w^as 
never  more  agreeably  surprised  in  my  life  than  when 
Miss  Russell  stopped  and  introduced  me  to  her  as  Mrs. 
Blanche  Lyttleton.  She  welcomed  me  very  prettily,  and 
said  she  was  pleased  to  see  me  there.  ^'Pleased  I"  I  re- 
peated; "excellent  lady" — thought  I — *^  she  cannot  be 
better  pleased  than  I  am." 

I  began  to  catch  the  hang  of  everythiag  wonderfully 
well  as  the  evening  closed  and  morning  advanced,  and 
regretted  that  the  party  could  not  last  all  night.  But,  worst 
of  all,  Mr.  Rambler,  I  hated  to  part  with  the  lovely  and 
beautiful  creature  who  had  guided  me  through  the  whole 
affair,  and  so  kindly  borne  with  all  my  rustic  awkward- 
ness. I  wondered  if  all  fine  ladies  could  be  like  Miss 
Russell  and  Mrs.  Blanche  Lyttleton  !  **Ah!"  thought 
I,  "if  they  were,  how  much  more  ought  their  amiability 
of  heart  to  be  envied  and  patterned  than  to  be  exciting 
groveling  and  low  jealousy  among  women  of  less  exalted 
station." 

.  True  politeness  is  the  test  of  really  fine  people.  Here 
was  I,  a  poor,  obscure  country  lad,  who  had  committed 
several  ludicrous  blunders,  and  been  guilty  of  some  ac- 
tual indelicacies  unconsciously;  and  yet  not  the  slightest 
neglect  was  offered  me,  and  I  received  as  much  atten- 
tion as  the  finest  gentleman  present.  To  make  a  long 
story  short,  sir,  I  have  now  been  a  lawyer  several  years 
in  my  native  village  of  Blackstoneville,  enjoying  a  mo- 


80  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

derate  practice,  and  happily  married  long  since.  But  I 
must  say  that  I  have  never  since  been  to  quite  so  nice  a 
party  as  Mrs.  Blanche  Lyttleton's ;  and  (asking  Mrs.  Coke's 
pardon)  have  never  met  with  a  lovelier  lady  than  Miss 
Russell.  Yours,  most  respectfully, 

MANSFIELD  COKE. 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  81 


CHAPTER   VII. 

THE  OLD  NEGRESS  AND  HER  SON. 

This  sketch,  my  dear  S ,  cannot  strictly  be  con- 
fined in  its  application  and  consequences  to  Columbus  or 
its  vicinity,  although  the  circumstances  may  have  trans- 
pired, many  years  ago,  within  its  limits;  and  then,  again, 
they  may  have  dated  elsewhere.  Be  this  as  it  may,  they 
happened  whilst  yet  I  was  a  youth,  and  the  impressions 
made  on  my  mind  from  having  witnessed  them  were 
not  only  stamped  thereon  with  all  the  force  which  such 
occurrences  make  usually  on  susceptible  natures  at  that 
golden  period  of  life,  but  are  likely  to  retain  their  hold 
till  my  dying  day. 

The  facts  of  the  case  may  be  briefly  stated.  A  wealthy 
planter,  whose  pecuniary  circumstances  were  partially 
embarrassed,  sickened  suddenly,  and  died  within  a  few 
hours  after  being  attacked.  He  left  no  wife,  and  his 
children  were  scarcely  more  than  infants.  The  landed 
estate  was  not  sufficient,  even  at  the  most  favorable  prices, 
to  liquidate  the  debts  of  the  deceased,  and  it  was  found 
necessary  to  sell  a  portion  of  his  slaves.  This  species  of 
property  was  then  at  a  high  value,  and  the  executors 
deemed  it  a  good  opportunity  to  dispose  of  all  the  slaves 
left  by  the  testator,  with  a  view  to  lessen  the  risks  and 
increase  the  estate  of  the  minors.  Accordingly,  an  order 
of  court  was  obtained  to  sell  all  or  what  portion  they 


82  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

chose,  and  an  advertisement  was  posted  to  that  effect,  and 
rapidly  circulated.  As  usualon  all  such  occasions,  a  large 
number  of  buyers  congregated  on  the  day  of  sale,  some 
desirous  of  purchasing  men  only,  some  women,  some 
again  young  boys,  and  others  young  girls.  All  w^ere 
anxious  to  avoid  the  encumbrance  and  risk  of  small  chil- 
dren. Under  these  circumstances,  and  the  affair  having 
gone  too  far  to,  be  mended  or  reconsidered,  no  course 
consistent  with  the  pecuniary  interests  of  the  minors  was 
left,  save  to  sell  separately,  each  one  by  turn,  without 
regard  to  husband  or  wife,  parent  or  child,  excepting  only 
the  tenderest  aged  infants  at  the  mother's  breast.  It 
happened  to  me,  my  dear  sir,  to  be  present,  though  not  as 
a  purchaser,  for  I  was  then  a  minor  myself. 

I  recognized  most  of  those  who  were  huddled,  in  me- 
lancholy groups,  beneath  the  relentless  hammer  of  the 
salesman.  There  w^ere  the  faces  of  old,  faithful  servitors 
of  the  deceased,  the  patriarchs  of  his  quarters,  the  com- 
panions of  his  early  life,  the  fast  and  truest  friends  of 
those  whom  he  had  left  behind.  Around  them  were  wives 
and  children,  and  grand-children,  and  connections  of 
every  degree — all  about  to  be  parted,  and  aw^aiting  the 
stroke  which  w^as  to  consign  them,  perhaps,  to  a  hun- 
dred different  masters.  Their  thoughts  would  seem 
sometimes  to  wander  to  the  past,  when  all  lived  happily 
together  in  their  smiling  cabins,  under  one  kind  owner, 
in  whose  family  all  had  been  raised — and  a  heavy  sigh 
or  glistening  tear  would  involuntarily  attest  the  mournful 
welcome  of  the  recollection.  Then,  again,  they  became 
abstracted,  apparently,  with  conjectures  of  the  gloomy 
and  chilling  future,  arrayed  in  tenfold  horrors  to  them 
who  had  never  felt  the  weight  of  servitude  as  it  is,  some- 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  83 

times,  unfortunately  felt ;  and  now  and  then,  as  an  in- 
quisitive and  keen-eyed  speculator  would  fix  his  gaze  on 
them,  I  could  see  the  ill-disguised  palpitation  of  heart, 
the  convulsive  tremor  of  voice,  as  they  responded  to  his 
various  questions.  Their  countenances  were  shrouded 
in  deep  melancholy,  and  their  spiritless  eyes  and  sluggish 
attitudes  told  full  well  the  tale  of  their  fears  and  appre- 
hensions. I  could  not  but  call  to  mind,  as  I  beheld  them 
there,  the  joyous  scenes  of  many  a  harvest  night  in  by- 
gone years,  when  I  had  seen  those  same  eyes  sparkle 
with  the  light  of  simple  jovialty  as  one  of  the  number 
would  mount  the  lofty  corn-pile  and  trill  forth  the  rustic 
song ;  and  I  felt  the  full  glow  of  sympathy,  as  imagina- 
tion would  bring  freshly  and  almost  sensibly  to  my  ears 
the  deep-toned  melody  of  the  wild  chorus  which  would 
go  sounding  over  hill  and  plain,  and  echoing  in  harmo- 
nious cadences,  through  wood  and  vale,  miles  off,  as  each 
merry  soul  chanted  his  response  to  the  leader.  The 
glowing  spirits,  and  harmless,  mirthful  revels  of  their 
happy  Christmas  holidays — that  time  of  festival  and  gai- 
ety which,  amongst  this  unfortunate  people,  lightens  all 
the  burdens,  and  compensates  for  all  the  privations  of 
whole  years  of  hard  labor,  and  which  is,  emphatically, 
the  grand  gala-day  of  their  lives — all  these  floated  over 
my  memory  as  I  looked  now  on  those  fallen  eyes,  and 
dull  attitudes,  and  I  gave  way  unconsciously  to  gloomy 
and  overpowering  revery.  Ah,  happy,  thrice  happy  days 
of  childhood!  when  the  sorrows  of  the  past,  and  the  fears 
of  the  future,  are  alike  shut  out  from  reflection ;  when 
the  present  beams  with  smiles ;  when  everything  looks 
bright ;  and  when  that  world  whose  all  of  happiness  is 
found  in  after  life  to  consist  either  in  grateful  associations 


84  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

of  the  past,  or  buoyant  hopes  of  the  future,  seems  too 
charming  and  too  full  of  delights  ever  to  be  soiled  with 
prints  of  sorrow,  or  clad  with  that  deceptive  garniture 
which  transforms  the  loveliest  of  its  visions,  and  which 
tempts  man  to  encounter  its  chilling  realities! 

Conspicuous  among   the  number  assembled   on  that 
melancholy  day  w^as  an  old  negress,  of  a  bright  mulatto 
complexion,  whose  merry-looking  face  had  been  familiar 
to  me  for  many  years,  and  who  w^as  known  by  all  who 
were  connected  with  the  family  of  the  dead  master  to 
have  been  an  especial  favorite — favored  for  the  warmth 
and  depth  of  her  devotion  to  him  and  to  his  little  chil- 
dren.    I  had  often,  when  a  small  boy,  visited  her  neat 
and  cheerful  hut,  and  shared,  with  genuine  pleasure,  her 
rude  and  primitive-like  hospitality.     Coarse  and  homely 
as  they  w^ere,  I  shall  always  remember  the  repasts  of 
fried   eggs,    and   ash-cakes,   and   nicely  broiled    young 
chickens,  with  which  she  rarely  failed  to  treat  me  on  the 
occasions  of  these  visits.     She  lived  on  a  portion  of  the 
farm  through  which  glided  the  lovely  brook  in  whose  lim- 
pid waters  it  was  my  custom  to  angle  of  Saturdays,  or 
late  of  summer  evenings,  when  the  old  field  school  I 
attended  was  dismissed  ;  and  her  humble  cot  had  often 
sheltered  me  from  a  sudden  shower,  and  witnessed  many 
a  mirthful  romp  with  the  lively  sister  of  her  young  mas- 
ter (then  himself  under  the  paternal  roof),  w^hom  I  there 
often  used  to  surprise.     Poor  old  Nanny !  how  changed 
was  the  scene  now — how  sadly  changed!     I  have  lived 
to  taste  of  much  of  what  is  called  the  world's  pleasures 
since.     I  have  dined  with  the  great,  the  wealthy,  the 
fashionable,  often ;  yet,  from  amidst  all  these,  I  can  recall 
now  no  fond  scene  half  so  welcome,  or  half  so  grateful, 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  85 

as  those  charming  sylvan  scenes  in  the  hut  of  that  poor 
old  negress ! 

But  happy  though  she  had  been  in  possessing  a  kind 
master ;  indulged  as  she  was  in  all  her  tasks,  and  rejoic- 
ing in  the  simple  pleasures  of  her  negro  lot,  Nanny's  had 
been  a  life  of  domestic  sorrows.  She  had  raised  a  family 
of  fine  boys  and  girls  to  see  them  snatched  away,  one  after 
an  other,  by  a  relentless  fever,  and  the  burial-ground  of 
the  farm  was  filled  with  the  mouldering  objects  of  her 
best  and  strongest  affections  ;  for  a  master  only  can  know 
how  strong  a  negro  mother  can  love  her  offspring.  At 
length  she  had  lived  to  see  the  husband  of  her  youth,  to 
whom  she  had  clung  through  a  long  life  of  connubial 
union  with  a  fidelity  to  be  admired  even  in  higher  spheres, 
carried  to  the  same  lonely  resting-place;  and  she  was  left 
with  only  one  little  boy,  the  gift  of  their  old  age,  the  so- 
lace of  her  declining  years.  He  was  then  just  beginning 
to  run  about,  and  playfully  aid  his  old  mother  in  driving 
up  the  young  fowls  as  night  came  on;  and,  slave  though 
she  was,  and  born  to  privation  and  labor,  I  could  not  but 
experience  an  emotion  of  the  purest  attachment  for  both 
as  I  w^atched  the  gleaming  eye  of  the  mother  as  it  fol- 
lowed the  sprightly  little  fellow  in  his  gambols.  He  was 
allowed  to  remain  with  her  long  after  the  time  when 
planters  usually  call  their  hardy  young  slaves  to  the  field. 
The  last  time  I  had  seen  him  was  on  a  Christmas  morn- 
ing, several  years  afterwards,  when  he  came  over  to  the 
great  house  (as  southern  negroes  call  the  master's  man- 
sion), with  his  mother,  to  bid  good  health  to  master  and 
mistress,  and  endeavor  to  catch  them,  or  some  of  the 
family,  in  a  Christmas  gift.     Few  of  us  who  own  slaves, 

as  you  very  well  know,  my  dear  S ,  ever  refuse  to 

8 


86  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

grant  this  innocent  and  appropriate  indulgence  to  these 
creatures  of  our  will ;  and  I  remember  well  paying  the 
penalty  to  old  Nanny  and  her  little  Joe,  on  the  morning 
in  question,  as  I  happened  then  to  be  spending  the  holy- 
days  with  her  master.  After  breakfast,  I  proposed  that  we 
should  take  a  leisure  stroll,  for  remembrance  sake,  over  the 
old  tramping-grounds  of  other  days;  and,  meeting  with  a 
ready  and  cheerful  assent,  w^e  sallied  forth  by  the  same  old 
path,  over  the  same  substantial  stiles,  through  the  same 
fields  and  meadows  where  I  had  so  often  rambled  of  yore. 
In  this  excursion,  we  were  followed  by  bevies  of  little  black 
urchins,  clad  in  their  Christmas  vestments  (which  were 
purchased  during  the  year  from  the  neighbors'  children, 
for  partridge  eggs  and  young  squirrels),  and  showing 
rows  of  the  whitest  ivory  as  they  trotted  along  behind, 
rejoicing  in  the  festive  occasion.  I  need  not  mention 
that  my  friend,  little  Joe,  was  a  prominent  personage  in 
this  sable  throng;  for,  in  fact,  it  had  been  his  presence, 
in  company  with  his  old  mother,  that  had  suggested  to 
me  the  idea  of  the  ramble,  strange  as  the  fact  may  appear 
to  many  who  shall  read  this  sketch.  We  came  first  to 
the  old  moss-covered  spring,  bursting  up  boldly  at  the 
head  of  a  lovely  little  glen,  in  the  midst  of  tall  poplars 
and  overhanging  shrubbery,  and  pouring  its  silver-co- 
lored, rippling  stream  into  the  large  brook  which  ran  not 
far  off.  Within  its  rock-lined  basin,  I  had  often,  in  past 
days,  when  an  inmate  under  the  hospitable  toof  of  the 
former  master,  dipped  and  cooled  the  watermelon,  freshly 
gathered  from  the  field  adjoining,  to  fit  it  for  a  noontide 
repast;  and  from  which,  also,  I  had  seen  the  dairy- woman 
draw  many  a  bottle  of  ice-cold  milk  for  the  sultry  summer 
night's  meal. 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  87 

Passing  on,  we  ascended,  at  a  buoyant  pace,  to  the 
brow  of  the  rather  lofty  hill  beyond,  from  which  could  be 
seen  the  old  family  mansion,  in  the  midst  of  its  tall  oaks 
and  graceful  China  trees,  with  its  hedges  of  lilac  and 
eglantine  stretching  along  by  the  garden,  and  up  the  long 
lane  in  front — a  picture  I  had  loved  in  other  days  to  be- 
hold, when,  early  of  a  spring  morning,  I  accompanied 
the  hardy  sons  of  the  fine  old  planter  on  our  Saturday 
angling  excursions.  From  this  point  we  w^ound  along 
through  a  beautiful  wood,  passing  many  a  venerable 
oak  or  chestnut,  from  whose  boughs  my  gun  had  often 
tumbled  a  hapless  little  squirrel,  until  we  came  in  sight 
of  the  lovely  meadow  on  the  other  side,  and  through 
which  glided,  like  a  thread  of  glowing  silver,  the  stout 
brook  which  watered  the  plantation. 

As  this  fine  and  well-remembered  scene  opened  before 
me  once  again,  teeming  with  fond  associations  of  past 
time,  and  glowing  with  many  a  loved  passage  of  those 
guileless  days,  I  involuntarily  called  to  mind  those  beau- 
tiful lines  in  Sir  Walter  Scott's  Marmion,  and  felt  the  full 
impulse  of  poetry  which  inspired  them  : — 

"  Thus,  while  I  ape  the  measure  wild 
Of  tales  that  charmed  mo  yet  a  child, 
Rude  though  they  be,  still  with  the  chime, 
Return  the  thoughts  of  early  time  ; 
And  feelings,  roused  in  life's  first  day, 
Glow  in  the  line,  and  prompt  the  lay. 
Then  rise  those  crags,  that  mountain  tower, 
Which  charmed  my  fancy's  wakening  hour. 
Though  no  broad  river  swept  along 
To  claim,  perchance,  heroic  song ; 
Though  sighed  no  groves  in  summer  gale, 
To  prompt  of  love,  a  softer  tale ; 


88  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

Though  scarce  a  puny  streamlet^s  speed 
Claimed  homage  from  a  shepherd's  rod, 
Yet  was  poetic  impulse  given 
By  the  green  hill,  and  clear  blue  heaven : 
Still,  with  vain  fondness,  could  I  trace, 
Anew,  each  kind,  familiar  face. 
That  brightened  at  our  evening  fire ; 
From  the  old  mansion's  gray-haired  sire — 

To  him,  the  venerable  J9rie5^, 

Our  frequent  and  familiar  guest. 

Whose  life  and  manners  well  could  paint 

Alike  the  student  and  the  saint.'^ 

Following  the  course  of  the  stream  (it  could  not,  my 

dear  S ,  be  really  called  '^puny^^),  we  came  at  length 

to  the  margin  of  the  old  pond,  dotted  with  huge  rocks 
here  and  there,  which  had  been  placed  originally  in  the 
water,  with  a  view  to  constructing  some  sort  of  machin- 
ery, and  over  whose  greenish  heads  the  currrent  had 
roared  and  dashed  for  many  a  long  year.  Here  I  had 
often  pulled  out  scores  of  young  catfish,  and  horny-heads, 
and  pink-bellied  perch ;  and  here,  too,  amidst  the  babbling 
waterfall  and  moss-embowered  scenery,  had  indulged 
many  and  many  a  wild  day-dream  of  boyish  love  and 
ambition.  With  the  ardent  fancy  of  youth,  I  had  often 
seen  the  bright  face  of  my  fair-haired  lassie  in  the  w-atery 
mirror  before  me,  and  heard  her  voice  in  the  rustling 
breeze  which  shook  the  sweet  shrub  bushes  around  ;  whilst 
I  listened  to  the  roar  of  the  rapid  torrent,  as  it  leaped 
over  rock  and  mound,  with  a  feeling  somew^hat  akin  to 
that  which  may  have  inspired  the  Greek  orator  as  he 
harangued  the  wild  billows  of  the  ^Egean  Sea.  The 
thoughts  of  years  crowded  on  my  mind  as  I  stood  by  this 
treasured   spot,  watching  the  freaks  of  the  little  black 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  89 

boys,  with  my  friend  Joe  at  their  head,  as  they  skipped 
and  bounded  nimbly  from  rock  to  bank,  across  the  bab- 
bling stream.  It  was  as  pleasant  a  Christmas  revel  as  I 
ever  enjoyed — this  witnessing  the  sport  of  a  group  of 
unfortunate  striplings,  filled  with  nothing  but  devotion  to 
those  who  owned  them,  and  w^hose  humble  heart-offerings, 
because  of  their  degraded  birth,  are  far  too  seldom  culti- 
vated by  even  the  kindest  masters.     Ah!  my  dear  S , 

a  little  familiarity  with  our  own  race,  as  the  world  goes, 
will  soon  convince  a  master  that  offerings  from  this  quar- 
ter are  far  more  sincere  than  from  those  we  meet  in  an 
equal  sphere  of  society. 

Not  far  from  this,  as  I  have  elsewhere  stated,  was  the 
low^ly,  thatched  tenement  of  my  old  friend  Nanny,  and  I 
could  not  resist  the  temptation  to  wander  far  enough  out 
of  the  way  back  to  the  house  to  take  a  farewell  look  at 
the  familiar  old  place.  The  door  w^as  locked,  and  no  one 
was  about.  A  mellow-toned  chanticleer  mounted,  with 
flapping  wings,  the  top  of  an  old  rotten  post  w^hich  sup- 
ported the  gate,  and  gave  a  wild,  merry  crow  as  we  ap- 
proached ;  but  this  was  all  the  welcome  we  met  with,  and 
I  proposed  at  once  to  return. 

Long  years  succeeded,  and  rolled  away,  and  (return- 
ing from  my  digression),  the  next  time  I  saw  little  Joe, 
the  merry-faced  negro  boy,  w'as  on  the  day  when  he  first 
was  made  acquainted  with  a  heavy  heart.  He  w^as  stand- 
ing, with  his  hands  clasped,  silent  and  melancholy,  beside 
his  weeping  mother.  He  was  no  longer  the  light-hearted 
little  urchin  of  the  Christmas  morning.  The  growth  of  a 
few"  years  had  done  wonders,  and  he  had  attained  to  the 
size  of  a  smart,  half-grown  boy,  though  he  had  not  seen 
more  than  a  dozen  summers.     His  kind  master  was  dead 

8* 


90  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

— his  master's  orphans  were  mere  children — and  there 
were  none  to  protect  him,  in  this  sore  hour  of  trial,  from 
the  imperative  grasp  of  the  law.  His  mother  was  too  old, 
and  likely  to  prove  too  much  of  a  burden,  for  any  one  to 
care  much  about  buying  her ;  whilst  his  own  sprightly 
looks  and  well-shaped  limbs  were  likely  to  induce  lively 
competition  amongst  the  bidders.  Ijead  his  thoughts, 
as  though  each  one  had  formed  a  letter,  and  pitied  the 
poor  desponding  boy  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart. 

It  was  the  most  mournful  and  soul-touching  sight  I 
ever  beheld — that  cheerless,  spiritless  group !  It  is  usual, 
at  most  sales  of  the  character  of  the  one  in  question,  to 
witness  more  or  less  of  this  apprehension  and  gloom  among 
the  slaves  doomed  to  the  block;  but  I  am  sure  I  never 
saw  such  a  universal  display  of  feeling  as  I  beheld  on 
that  day. 

The  hour  arrived — the  sheriff  ascended  the  court- 
house steps,  and  the  sale  began.  One  by  one  the  slaves 
were  brought,  and  exposed  to  full  view  from  the  block, 
and  knocked  off  to  the  highest  bidder,  and  at  rates 
which  showed  that  such  property  w^as  in  brisk  demand. 
The  bidders  made  every  effort  to  allay  their  humanity, 
and  to  nerve  themselves  to  the  highest  pitch  of  callous- 
ness and  indifference.  They  were  not  answerable  for 
the  sale;  it  was  a  dead  appeal  to  self-interest;  and  the 
terrified  children  were  thrust  forward  as  the  choice  fell 
on  them,  and  bought  up  separately,  without  the  least  re- 
gard to  the  calm  imploring  looks,  and  silent  tears,  and 
patient  endurance  of  their  suffering  parents.  But  pity, 
in  its  naked  shape,  and  taken  apart  from  interest,  was 
not  wholly  wanting.  The  heart  of  the  Southerner,  how- 
ever, in  tins  respect,  framed  by  custom  and  education,  is 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  91 

never,  on  such  occasions,  entirely  lost  to  the  touch  of 
sympathy.  Whilst  all,  as  was  natural,  struck  eagerly 
for  their  interest,  and  made  such  selections  for  purchas- 
ing as  best  suited  them,  no  one  sported  with  the  feelings 
of  the  distressed.  They  who  directed  the  sale  often  stayed 
a  rising  tear  as  some  scene  of  family  parting  occurred, 
and  the  bystanders  frequently  clubbed  to  buy  in  families, 
in  order  to  gratify  their  attachments  and  feelings.  It 
was  only  when  some  straggling  speculator  or  distant 
resident  was  heard  bidding  that  signs  of  suffering  grew 
uncontrollable  and  impressible ;  and  at  such  moments 
many  a  glistening  eye  was  discernible  amongst  those  who 
attended  the  sale  from  mere  motives  of  curiosity,  or,  per- 
chance, to  yield  a  look  of  encouragement  and  sympathy 
to  the  despairing  victims  of  the  law. 

At  length  I  saw  the  sheriff  beckon  to  Joe.  Calmly 
and  tearlessly,  he  obeyed  the  summons  with  an  active 
spring,  w^hich  seems  to  have  been  ventured  to  destroy  his 
fears.  A  stifled  sob,  in  his  rear,  answered  the  call  made 
for  him  to  ascend  the  block,  and,  for  a  single  moment,  he 
paused  at  that  evidence  of  maternal  suffering.  I  thought 
his  heart  would  fail  him,  and  looked  to  see  the  tears  roll 
from  his  large,  woeful,  bright  eye;  but,  at  that  time,  he 
gave  the  bound  spoken  of,  and  faced  the  crowd  with  a 
look  of  mingled  humility  and  calmness  which  nothing 
seemed  likely  to  disarm.  The  buyers  pressed  more 
closely  around  the  stand  as  he  w^as  offered,  for  he  was 
one  of  the  likeliest  boys  of  his  kind,  and  a  dozen  bids 
simultaneously  caught  the  sheriff's  ear.  These  evidences 
of  competition  went  like  the  stroke  of  death  to  his  mo- 
ther's heart,  and,  though  affliction  had  dealt  severely  with 
her  in  former  years,  the  consolation  remained  that  the 


92  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

children  she  had  buried  were  gone  home  to  the  grand, 
common  master  of  owner  and  slave — of  bond  and  free. 
But  now  the  gift  and  pet  of  her  old  age,  in  whom  all  that 
was  left  of  her  early  love  was  devotedly  centered,  who 
had  never  slept  a  night  from  under  her  lowly  cot,  was 
doomed  to  pass  an  ordeal  vastly  more  trying  than  death 
itself  to  a  mother's  heart.  These  harrowing  reflections 
disarmed  her  of  all  fortitude,  and  moans  of  deep  anguish, 
bursting  from  the  full  fountain  of  maternal  tenderness, 
mingled  with  the  cries  of  the  busy  auctioneer,  and  brought 
sorrow  to  many  a  humane  and  manly  heart.  Some,  it  is 
true,  who  had  been  schooled  to  regard  a  negro's  nature 
as  next  akin  to  that  of  the  brute,  looked  with  astonish- 
ment at  these  burning  evidences  of  grief,  but  far  the 
greater  part  of  those  present  yielded  the  hapless  mother 
their  sincerest  sympathy.  Several  of  the  old  negro  men 
who  had  been  raised  up  with  her,  and  who  had  just 
passed  through  the  same  ordeal  to  which  she  was  now  sub- 
jected, gathered  around  her  with  friendly  intent,  and  strove 
to  comfort  her.  But  it  seemed  as  if  the  sorrows  and  trials 
which  had  been  smothered  for  years  were  now  weighing 
herto  the  earth,  aroused  by  this  last  "unkindest  cut"  of  all. 

I  never  coveted,  before  or  since,  my  dear  S ,  a  lavish 

abundance  of  money ;  but,  at  that  moment,  I  felt  as  if  thou- 
sands would  have  been  only  as  a  feather  in  the  balance 
weighed  against  this  acute  and  overwhelming,  not  to  say 
irreparable,  maternal  distress.  I  have  seen  our  fair-haired 
mothers  bending  over  the  lifeless  remains  of  a  darling 
child  about  to  be  consigned  to  parent  dust — I  have  seen 
them  when  afflictions  besieged  every  penetrable  avenue 
to  their  tender  and  susceptible  hearts;  but  I  never  beheld 
the  traces  of  grief  and  anguish  so  deeply  furrowed  as  on 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  93 

the  distorted  features  of  that  poor  old  negro  woman  when 
the  hammer  of  the  sheriff  announced  the  fate  of  her:  only 
boy.  He  was  purchased  by  a  wealthy  planter  resident  in 
a  distant  State,  and  taken  immediately  into  safe  custody  by 
his  new  master,  who,  with  a  mistrust  too  common  amongst 
slave-dealers,  adopted  the  severe  and  repulsive  precaution 
of  manacling  his  hands  with  stout  irons  forged  for  the 
purpose,  and  then  confining  him,  by  means  of  a  strong 
rope,  to  the  neck  of  his  horse.  It  is  this  unwarrantable 
and  useless  severity,  practiced  by  such  heartless  men, 
whose  very  severity  argues  a  mistrustful  and  uneasy  con- 
science, which  gives  to  the  enemies  of  our  institution 
such  room  for  rabid  exaggeration,  and  which  renders  this 
feature  of  it  odious  even  to  its  best  friends.  In  the  trans- 
fer of  these  unfortunate  people  (unfortunate  always  when 
forced  to  the  block),  a  kind  look,  a  benevolent  expression, 
a  single  word  of  encouragement  or  sympathy,  rarely  fails 
to  reconcile  them  in  a  moment  to  their  altered  lot,  even 
when  family  connections  are  dissevered  ;  but  when  sever- 
ity is  called  to  aid,  before  even  suspicion  or  bad  conduct 
is  aroused,  and  barbarous  precautions  used  to  prevent 
what  the  victim  has  not,  perhaps,  so  much  as  dreamed 
of  perpetrating,  it  is  only  a  matter  of  surprise  and  of  con- 
gratulation that  we  have  so  few  evil-minded  and  unruly 
slaves  in  our  midst. 

When  the  sale  was  closed,  I  felt  impelled  to  linger  on 
the  spot,  hoping  to  fall  on  some  happy  plan  by  which  to 
soothe  the  approaching  separation  of  this  poor  negress  and 
her  darling  boy.  A  humane  and  tender-hearted  gentle- 
man present  on  the  ground  had  bought  the  old  woman 
for  very  compassion,  and  promised  her  every  opportunity 
of  going  to  see  her  son  ;  but  nothing  could  assuage  the 


94  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

horrors  of  the  separation  about  to  ensue,  and  nothing 
could  mitigate  the  dark  forebodings  and  withering  mis- 
givings which  weighed  on  her  mind  in  connection  with 
her  son's  fate  and  treatment  at  the  hands  of  one  who  had 
begun  so  roughly.  The  poor  boy,  despite  all  this,  held 
out  bravely  to  the  last.  He  gazed  with  a  look  of  stupefied 
horror  at  the  manacles,  as  the  new  master  forced  them 
over  his  hands,  and  then  turned,  with  tearless  eyes,  to 
receive  the  convulsive  embrace  of  his  agonized  parent. 
But  when,  bound  and  fettered,  he  was  at  length  rudely 
commanded  to  take  up  his  melancholy  line  of  march  ; 
when  the  fond  arms  in  which  he  had  nestled  nightly  from 
his  earliest  infancy,  clasped  now  for  the  last  time  around 
his  neck,  were  forced  by  friendly  hands  from  their  nervous 
hold,  and  his  aged  mother  was  borne,  sorrowing  and 
heart-broken,  from  the  court-yard  ;  when  he  received  the 
last  farewell  of  those  old  patriarchs  of  his  native  planta- 
tion by  whom  he  had  been  raised,  then  the  smothered 
fires  of  despair  found  vent,  and  the  burst  of  manly  grief 
which  followed,  and  which  attested  the  severity  of  this 
first  shock  on  his  young  heart,  thrilled  every  beholder,  and 
would  have  convinced  the  hardiest  skeptic  that  natural 
affections,  though  restrained  and  subdued,  are  not  whol- 
ly extinct  in  the  negro's  bosom  because  of  his  degraded 
lot. 

As  an  American,  my  dear  S ,  I  sincerely  deplore 

and  deprecate  such  scenes  as  I  have  here  described,  and 
thank  God  that  they  are  of  such  rare  occurrence  that  they 
often  inspire  with  disgust  every  single  beholder.  As  a  son 
of  the  South,  ardently  devoted  to  her  interests  and  insti- 
tutions, I  view  them  always  with  shame  and  abhorrence. 
They  are  the  more  to  be  deplored  and  abhorred  by  all 


'^f*  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  95 

high-minded  and  enlightened  Southerners  because,  in 
connection  with  our  peculiar  institutions,  they  are  utterly 
irremediable  by  law.  They  are  remediable  only  by  the 
slower,  but  at  the  same  time  surer,  progress  of  healthy 
public  opinion.  However  crying  and  repulsive  the  evil 
(for  evil  every  enlightened  Southerner  believes  it  to  be) 
of  selling  and  transferring  slaves  as  any  other  species  of 
property,  dissevering  all  their  family  associations,  and 
destroying  all  their  natural  affections,  all  penal  enact- 
ments on  the  subject  can  result  in  nothing  but  its  aggra- 
vation. Mistaken  and  misdirected  (even  though  sincere- 
hearted)  philanthropy  is  ever  the  most  cruel  and  deploratje 
policy  which  unwise  and  unthinking  zealots  adopt  in 
connection  with  ameliorating  the  condition  of  slaves. 

There  are  few  slaveholders  to  be  found  w^ho  would  not 
cordially  embrace  a  plan  which  might  so  act  as  an  alter- 
native as  to  do  aw^ay  with  this  single  hateful  feature  in 
an  institution  which  otherwise  is  so  cherished  by  nearly 
all  Southerners.  But  every  evil  must  have  its  concomi- 
tants, and  it  is  almost,  if  not  quite,  impossible  to  discon- 
nect barter  and  traffic  with  a  state  of  absolute  slavery. 
Judicious  legislation  may  perhaps  alleviate,  indirectly, 
the  evil,  but  the  remedy  exists  only  in  enlightened  public 
opinion,  and  here  we  must  be  content  to  let  it  rest.  Every 
succeeding  generation  enters  on  the  theatre  of  life  with 
increased  correctness  and  liberality  of  opinion  concerning 
these  concomitant  evils  of  the  great  evil.  The  lapse  of 
a  few  more  will  doubtless  bring  a  most  gratifying  ameli- 
oration in  every  respect,  and  perhaps  so  mollify  the 
unw^elcome  features  of  the  institution,  so  alleviate  its 
rigors,  as  to  soften  and  subdue  the  asperity  of  even  its 
most  frantic  opponents.  A  RAMBLER. 


96  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

N.  B.  Here,  ray  dear  S ,  I  take  leave  of  you,  in 

my  character  of  the  Rambler,  and  as  the  especial  object 
of  address.  If  these  fugitive  sketches  shall  ever  attain 
publicity,  there  will  be  doubtless  some  curiosity  among 
my  readers  to  solve  the  enigma  of  your  identity.  Many 
will  conjecture  that  you  are  merely  an  ideal  creation  ; 
others  will  cast  about  to  find,  as  they  think,  the  original 
and  real  character.  One  of  these  must  be  right — which, 
I  shall  not  say.  I  can  only  remind  all  who  are  inquisitive 
on  the  subject  of  the  celebrated  motto  of  Junius's  letters 
— "stat  nominis  umbra." 

For  the  future,  I  shall  drop  the  address,  and  may  take 
a  wider  range,  and  pursue  quite  a  different  course.  For 
the  present,  then,  my  fair  friend.  Vale — benedicite;  may 
pleasures  attend  thy  hopes,  and  flowers  bloom  in  thy 
path! 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  97 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  LEGEND  OF  BLACK  CREEK. 

In  a  secluded  portion  of  this,  our  fine  county  of 
Lowndes,  bordering  on  the  banks  of  the  swift-gliding 
Buttatchie,  and  several  miles  distant  from  the  metropolis, 
is  a  nice  little  hamlet,  which,  whatever  may  be  its  de- 
signation familiarly,  we  shall  for  the  present  denominate 
Simstown.  The  few  people  who  dwell  in  and  around 
are  plain,  simple,  mostly  uneducated,  and  poor  farmers, 
but  famed  throughout  the  county  for  their  sturdy  inde- 
pendence and  inflexible  honesty.  Hospitality,  too,  is 
another  distinguishing  trait  in  their  character;  and  it 
seems  to  have  been  inherited  from  time  immemorial,  in- 
asmuch as  it  comes  as  natural  to  them  as  their  religion  or 
love  of  country,  and  proceeds  from  no  ostentatious  and  in- 
sincere love  of  company,  or  flaunting  parade.  They,  more- 
over, belong  to  that  rare  class  of  citizens  who  prefer  to  at- 
tend strictly  to  their  own  business  and  occupations,  and  to 
neglect  those  of  other  persons  in  which  they  have  no  inte- 
rest ;  are  seldom  seen  in  town,  except  during  court-week, 
or  when  a  circus  or  menagerie  is  advertised  to  exhibit ; 
and  never  take  any  part  in  politics  further  than  to  vote 
just  as  they  please,  although  they  never  fail  to  enter- 
tain strolling  candidates  in  the  most  handsome  man- 
ner ;  oftentimes  get  up  a  barbecue  for  their  especial 
benefit,  and,  indeed,  become  seriously  offended  unless 
9 


98  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

these  pleasant  gentlemen  take  a  regular  round  through 
the  neighborhood,  visiting  and  staying  all  night  separately 
at  each  cottage,  which  they  claim  without  reference  to 
party  or  persons.  They  have  their  own  church,  their 
own  school,  their  own  preachers  and  schoolmasters,  and 
listen  as  attentively  to  a  Mormon  or  Millerite  as  to  the 
most  genuine  Baptist,  or  exacting  Methodist  itinerant. 
Intolerance  is  discarded  from  their  principles,  and  whilst 
they  are  inflexible  both  in  their  religious  and  political 
opinions,  a  preacher  of  any  denomination  or  class,  like 
the  candidate  for  office,  has  only  to  declare  his  business 
to  receive  a  universal  w^elcome. 

This  seclusion  and  peculiarity  of  habit,  on  the  part  of 
these  peaceful  and  contented  neighbors,  may  naturally 
suggest  to  the  sagacious  reader  an  idea  which  this  sketch 
is  written  especially  to  confirm,  viz. ,  that,  living  as  they  did, 
the  good  people  of  Simstown  must  needs  be  smartly  super- 
stitious, and  credulous  on  the  subject  of  goblins  and 
spirits.  Indeed,  they  never  pretended  to  deny  their  belief 
in  the  existence  of  such  things;  and  every  old  housewife, 
and  merry  plough-lad,  and  romping  piece  of  a  lass,  for 
miles  around,  could  rehearse  to  the  inquisitive  listener 
divers  appalling  stories  of  sights  they  had  seen  of  dark 
nights,  and  strange  noises  they  had  heard ;  and  occasion- 
ally one  of  the  older  wights  would  recount,  by  his  blaz- 
ing chimney  corner,  to  groups  of  staring  children  and 
terrified  women,  the  wondrous  perils  and  mishaps  of  some 
personal  adventure  of  his  own  with  these  airy,  frolicksome 
beings  of  another  world.  All  these  stories  were  caught,  and 
of  course  spread,  with  every  imaginable  exaggeration,  by 
the  negroes  belonging  to  the  various  farmers  around  ;  and 
bending  their  whole  active  and  magnifying  fancies  to  the 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  99 

welcome  task,  these  credulous  and  wonder-loving  sons 
of  Africa  would  charm  and  excite  their  masters'  children 
with  tales  of  Jack-o'-the-lanterns,  and  swamp  owls,  and 
whippowils,  all  of  which  w^ere,  with  them,  beings  of 
speech  and  thought.  Of  the  first  they  were  most  espe- 
cially afraid ;  and  when,  after  the  close  of  their  labors  on 
Saturday  evenings,  iand  they  had  received  permission  to  go 
to  their  friends'  houses,  on  some  adjoining  plantation,  one 
of  these  eccentric  phantoms  would  spring  up  suddenly, 
from  some  damp  place  or  old  grave,  they  would  reve- 
rently start  an  opposite  course,  and  quickly  turn  their 
coats  wrong-side  outwards,  which,  they  averred,  from  long 
experience  and  tradition,  to  be  the  only  protective  under 
such  circumstances.  If,  unluckily,  they  had  left  home 
without  a  coat,  and  their  path  was  crossed  by  one  of  these 
exhalations,  they  fully  believed  it  was  their  duty  to  follow 
its  course ;  and  many  are  the  frightful  stories  they  have 
been  heard  to  tell  of  the  ditches,  and  slashes,  and  briar- 
patches  through  which  the  phantom  forced  them  to  follow; 
and  here,  sometimes,  they  would  take  some  sort  of  shape 
and  vanish  suddenly  up  a  tree,  scaling  all  the  bark  off  as 
they  climbed,  or  else  disappear  in  some  lake  or  stream 
of  water,  which  would  boil  and  bubble  for  minutes  after- 
wards. In  the  same  way,  if,  in  these  night  journeys,  a 
large  owl  would  shriek  out  suddenly  a  tu-whoo  !  over  their 
heads,  or  would  begin  a  peculiar,  indescribable  sort  of 
cackle,  or  laugh,  these  superstitious  creatures  would  take 
off  their  hats  in  an  instant,  and  respond  in  a  pert,  merry 
voice,  "Oh  yes,  master!"  just  as  if  addressed  by  a  hu- 
man being;  whereas,  the  mournful  notes  of  the  whippo- 
wil  never  failed  to  inspire  them  with  thoughts  of  death,  and 
the  first  who  happened  to  hear  the  sounds  was  uneasy  for 


100  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

days  afterwards,  for  fear  that  he  would  lose  a  wife  or  child, 
or  perhaps  a  valued  master  or  mistress,  which  he  gene- 
rally considered  a  far  greater  calamity  than  the  former. 

This  credulity,  and  marvel-loving  propensity,  so  gene- 
rally characteristic  of  our  Southern  negroes,  may  easily 
explain  the  early  tendencies  to  superstition  among  the 
chivalrous  Southerners;  and  which,  even  among  the  most 
intelligent,  often  makes  impressions  which  last  in  full 
strength  for  years,  and  exert  some  influence  through  life, 
although,  in  mature  years,  the  feeling  becomes  one  rather 
of  pleasant  association  than  of  awe.  This  is  the  case  to 
a  far  greater  extent  among  the  simple-minded  and  unedu- 
cated classes  than  among  what  are  called  the  higher  cir- 
cles of  society.  With  these  it  becomes,  from  habit  and 
association,  part  and  parcel  of  their  nature,  and  no  instruc- 
tion or  ridicule  can  banish  the  impression  from  their  minds. 

Now  it  happened,  that  there  lived,  some  years  ago, 
among  the  people  of  Simstown,  a  w^orthy,  ignorant,  and 
industrious  soul  by  the  name  of  Tony  Randull,  or,  as  he 
w^as  familiarly  called  in  the  neighborhood,  singing  Ran- 
dull. This  singular  cognomen  had  been  attached  to  him 
in  consequence  of  wonderful  endow^ments  in  the  line  of 
religious  singing,  and  the  uncommon  capacity  of  his 
lungs  in  the  exercise  of  this  favorite  indulgence.  Tony 
was  a  strict  member  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  always 
a  conspicuous  person  at  all  of  the  camp-meetings.  He 
was  ever  a  w^elcome  guest  at  the  tents ;  for,  although  Tony 
w^as  never  known  to  be  missing  from  the  stand,  or  from 
morning-prayer,  yet  he  was  a  handy  fellow  at  all  kinds 
of  out-door  work,  and  never  failed  to  pay  for  more  than 
he  ate  or  drank  at  any  place  where  he  sojourned  during 
the  festival — though  surely  no  tabernacle  was  ever  known 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  101 

to  exact  or  look  for  pay  on  such  occasions.  The  singing 
before  and  after  service  was,  with  him,  the  charm  of  life, 
and  if  the  spirit  was  properly  stirred  up,  and  revivals 
began  around  the  rustic  altar,  Tony  looked  as  if  he  would 
go  mad  with  joy  and  singing,  and,  as  he  himself  expressed 
it,  "  it  was  just  the  thing  he  was  cut  out  for."  Indeed, 
I  have  heard  one  or  two  gray-haired  old  brethren,  who 
sometimes  loved  a  good  joke  from  the  very  bottom  of 
their  honest  hearts,  say,  with  a  sneaking  smile,  that  Tony 
was  the  main  earthly  agent  in  working  out  his  own  con- 
version, for  that  he  drowned  all  other  voices  in  singing 
whilst  the  process  was  going  on.  He  owned  no  property, 
had  no  wife  or  child,  no  relations  in  the  State  that  any 
one  knew  of,  and  followed,  for  his  living,  overseeing  on 
a  small  scale,  jobbing  about  among  the  farmers,  or  taking 
their  cattle,  or  staves,  or  any  produce  they  might  have 
for  sale,  to  market  in  town.  This  last  was  his  ordinary 
occupation,  and  as  he  always  needed  an  assistant  in 
case  of  a  stall,  or  to  mind  the  team  whilst  he  was  hunt- 
ing buyers  for  his  produce,  he  always  got  permission 
to  take  along  wdth  him  an  old  negro  fellow  belonging  to 
one  of  the  farmers,  who  had  grown  too  old  for  plantation 
labor,  and  was,  in  consequence  of  this  fact,  and  of  hav- 
ing always  borne  a  fine  character,  the  next  thing  to  a 
free  man.  Old  Ned,  or,  as  Tony  used  to  call  him.  Uncle 
Ned,  was  also  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and 
was  generally  regarded  by  the  preachers  who  travelled 
the  circuit  as  particularly  gifted  with  grace,  and  was,  in 
fact,  the  black  patriarch  of  the  settlement,  trusted  by  all, 
and  favored  as  well  as  respected,  by  all.  Now  Uncle 
Ned  excelled  as  much  in  prayer  as  did  Tony  in  the  gift 
of  singing,  and  for  this  reason,  it  is  supposed,  more  than 

9* 


102  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES* 

any  other,  he  was  the  chosen  friend  of  Tony,  and  his 
brother  in  the  Lord;  and  they  have  both  been  often  heard 
to  liken  themselves  unto  Jonathan  and  David,  for  Tony 
was  a  humble,  pious  man,  and  thought  it  not  at  all  be- 
neath him  to  seek  a  friend  from  among  this  degraded  and 
unfortunate  race.  As  it  was  a  considerable  distance  to 
town,  these  two  chosen  companions  were  often  benighted 
in  returning  home  ;  and  frequently,  late  of  a  night,  long 
after  all  had  gone  to  bed,  the  neighbors  would  be  warned 
first  of  their  approach  by  the  mellow  notes  of  sacred  mu- 
sic, winding,  in  linked  sweetness,  through  the  valley, 
and  then  dying  in  distant  echoes  over  the  hills.  At  all 
such  times,  Tony  would  lead  the  tune,  whilst  old  Ned 
chimed  in  with  a  strong,  peculiar  bass  of  his  own,  deep 
and  full,  and  carried  in  most  admirable  concert  with  the 
highest  pitch  of  his  friend's  tenor.  As  it  was  well  known 
that  both  solemnly  believed,  in  common  with  most  of  the 
neighborhood,  in  the  existence  of  ghosts,  and  all  the  su- 
pernatural tribes,  many  conjectured  that  their  fears  of  a 
visit  from  some  quarter  of  this  kind  made  them  indulge 
in  such  lusty,  fervent  psalmody  when  they  chanced  to 
get  overtaken  by  night.  The  sequel  of  the  story  will 
probably  demonstrate  that  there  was  very  considerable 
foundation  for  this  conjecture. 

The  road  which  leads,  for  most  of  the  way  at  least, 
from  Columbus  to  Simstown,  is  that  which  was  cut  by 
Gen.  Jackson,  in  his  celebrated  march  with  the  Tennes- 
see volunteers  and  a  few  regulars  from  Nashville  to  the 
frontiers  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  when  an  invasion  by  the 
British  was  expected  every  month.  It  is  known  to  this 
day  as  the  military  road,  and  is  crossed,  about  six  or 
seven  miles  from  town,  by  a  large,  dark-looking  stream. 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  103 

called,  familiarly,  Black  Creek.     It  is  a  forbidding  spot, 
shaded  by  huge  willows  and  swamp-oaks,  whose  thick 
foliage  imparts  an  aspect  of  gloom  and  terror  sufficiently 
ominous  to  put  a  suspicious  or  superstitious  soul  on  his 
^  guard,  independent  even  of  the  ghostly  associations  con- 
nected with  its  history.     To  pass  this  place,  so  generally 
thought  to  be  haunted,  was  always  a  sore  trial,  especially 
after  dusk,  to  singing  Randull  and  his  old  negro  compa- 
nion, for  they  verily  believed  all  the  stories  they  had  ever 
heard  about  the  awful  deeds  which  had  been  committed 
within  its  dark  shadows,  as  well  as  the  fact  of  its  being 
oftentimes  the  scene  of  unearthly  and  abominable  revels 
indulged  by  the  wicked,  wandering  spirits,  who  had  not 
yet  been  dead  long  enough  to  be  confined.     Here,  it  was 
said,   a  young  Choctaw  Indian,  the  son  of  a  powerful 
chief,  had  slain  his  brother  in  a  fit  of  anger,  and  then 
thrown  his  body,  tied  to  a  large  bundle  of  stones,  in  the 
deep  gulf  or  basin  formed  by  a  sudden  sink  in  the  chan- 
nel of  the  creek,  just  on  the  margin  of  the  road.     An 
aged  Tennesseean,  who  died  in  the  county  many  years 
ago,  and  who  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  army  of  General 
Jackson,  often  told  a  story  of  how  Old  Hickory,  having  ar- 
rived on  the  banks  during  a  tremendous  freshet,  and  being 
impatient  to  get  along,  rashly  ordered  two  young  dragoons 
to  try  the  depth  of  the  ford,  and  how  both  of  them  were 
swept  away  by  the  swift  current,  and  never  seen  more. 
Added  to  these  was  the  melancholy  fact,  too  well  known, 
that  one  or  two  persons  had  been  unfortunately  drowned, 
of  late  years,  in  the  attempt  to  cross  at  the  same  place 
where  the  creek  was  too  much  swollen. 

But  that  which,  more  than  all  other  circumstances,  had 
contributed  to  give  a  bloody  celebrity  to  this  fatal  spot, 


104  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

was  one  which  had  transpired  only  about  two  years  pre- 
viously to  the  date  of  this  legend,  and  therefore  ten  times 
more  awful,  apart  from  its  horrid  details,  than  all  the  rest 
put  together.  Everybody  hereabouts  will  easily  recollect 
the  whole  matter,  and  1  only  recount  it  here  for  the  bene- 
fit of  those  readers  who  live  at  different  places. 

Let  it  be  known,  then,  that,  at  this  place,  in  the  spring 
of  183-,  was  inhumanly  and  savagely  murdered  an  old 
traveller,  who  was  supposed  to  be  on  his  way  to  Colum- 
bus for  the  purpose  of  buying  and  entering  government 
lands.  He  w^as  riding  calmly  along,  some  hour  after 
night,  not  dreaming  of  any  danger,  but  w^histling  to  make 
up  for  thought,  when  a  savage  assassin  flew  on  him  from 
the  adjoining  thicket,  and  mercilessly  shot  him  through 
the  heart.  The  old  gentleman  fell  heavily  from  his  horse, 
and  the  murderer,  wresting  and  seizing  the  bridle  in  an 
instant,  possessed  himself  of  the  traveler's  saddle-bags, 
and  then  galloped  furiously  off  on  his  own  horse,  which 
had  been  tied  on  the  brow  of  the  hill.  All  these  facts 
were  given  by  two  men  who  were  riding  down  the  slope 
on  the  opposite  side  ;  but  no  one  knew^  either  of  the  par- 
ties, and  after  an  inquest,  which  amounted,  like  most 
inquests,  to  just  nothing  at  all,  the  murdered  man  was 
buried  decently  on  the  side  of  the  road,  where,  for  aught 
that  I  have  heard  to  the  contrary,  he  reposes  quietly  to 
this  day.  The  assassin  w^as  not  discovered  and  brought 
to  justice  until  long  years  after,  w^hen,  according  to  the 
old  saying  that  "  murder  will  out,"  the  news  reached 
Columbus  that  he  had  at  last  been  identified,  condemned, 
and  executed  in  a  distant  State ;  for  another  crime,  how- 
ever, than  the  one  in  question.  But  if  the  stories  in  vogue 
about  Simstown   are  to  be  credited,  the  grave  does  not 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  105 

confine  him  very  closely,  and  he  is  still  allowed  to  wan- 
der to  the  scene  of  his  most  flagitious  crime.  It  is  there 
currently  stated  by  an  old  black  man  that  he  returns  and 
acts  his  murder  over  in  the  same  way,  and  on  the  very 
same  spot,  every  anniversary  of  the  event.  His  story  is 
that,  as  he  was  returning  home  one  night,  and  just  as 
he  had  got  fairly  within  the  shades  of  the  swamp,  he 
first  heard  the  sound  of  a  horse's  hoof  moving,  as  it 
seemed,  to  the  time  of  a  slow  tune  which  the  rider  was 
whistling.  Presently  the  flash  of  a  pistol  lighted  up  the 
scene,  the  rider  dropped  from  his  horse,  a  man  rushed 
out  and  rifled  him  in  a  trice,  and  then,  mounting  a  huge 
black  horse,  which  stood  a  little  way  off*,  breathing  fire 
and  flames  from  his  nostrils,  both  vanished  in  a  whirlwind 
which  happened  to  meet  them  just  at  the  top  of  the  hill. 
At  the  same  time,  a  star  fell  and  burst  right  before  his 
eyes,  and  blinded  him  for  several  minutes ;  after  which, 
he  could  see  nothing  of  the  murdered  man  or  his  beast. 
As  if  it  had  been  really  intended  to  frighten  him  to  death, 
he  declares  he  also  beheld  two  men  on  horseback,  with 
plumes  in  their  caps,  and  great  crooked  swords  dangling 
at  their  sides,  rearing  and  plunging  through  the  air  about 
the  height  that  the  creek  usually  rises  to  in  high  flood, 
whilst  a  great  white  figure  darted  up  suddenly,  with  a 
shriek,  out  of  the  dark  pool,  and  then  fell  back  heavily 
again,  as  if  pulled  down  with  a  dea4  weight. 

This  wild  story  spread  with  the  rapidity  of  lightning 
all  around  and  through  the  neighborhood  of  Simstown, 
and  caused  many  a  bold  lad  and  tom-boy  girl  to  open 
wide  their  eyes  with  wonder,  whilst  the  old  people  reve- 
rently shook  their  gray  heads.  It  sank  deep  into  the 
susceptible  hearts  of  singing  Randull  and  his  old  black 


:m 


106  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

companion,  upsetting  what  sneaking  doubts  they  may 
have  ever  entertained,  and  clothing  with  a  terrible  reality 
the  fearful  misgivings  they  had  always  cherished  in  con- 
nection with  the  blood-stained  spot.  They  never  passed 
the  ford  even  in  broad  daylight,  with  the  bright  sun 
shining  gayly  on  every  side,  without  muttering  a  low 
prayer  for  protection  against  evil  spirits,  or  casting  a  fur- 
tive, suspicious  glance  through  the  bushy  clusters  which 
lined  the  roadside.  They  also  had  made  a  solemn  vow 
never  to  permit  their  mules,  under  any  circumstances,  to 
quench  their  thirst  in  the  polluted  waters  of  the  gulf  where 
the  Indian  fratricide,  like  another  wicked  Cain,  had  en- 
deavored to  hide  the  evidence  of  his  hell-deserving  crime. 
If,  accidentally,  the  wind  made  a  whistle  in  passing  through 
some  crevice  of  the  wagon  body,  their  blood  would  begin 
to  run  cold  for  fear  that  it  might  be  the  old  traveler's  dying 
notes ;  and  if  the  branch  of  a  tree  happened  to  creak 
sharply  as  they  passed,  their  blood  would  then  fairly 
freeze  in  their  veins  as  the  idea  suggested  itself  that  it 
might  be  the  clank  of  the  swords  belonging  to  the  two 
unfortunate  dragoons ;  whilst  for  dread  of  seeing  the  spirit 
of  the  dead  Indian,  they  would  put  whip  to  their  beasts, 
and  ascend  the  hill  in  the  briskest  sort  of  a  trot.  But  it 
was  when  they  were  doomed  to  pass  the  fatal  place  after 
nightfall  that  their  fears  reached  the  crowning  point.  It 
was  at  such  hour  i\tf(t  they  dreaded  most  a  conflict  with 
Satan  and  his  wild  legions,  especially  too  on  ground 
abominable  in  the  sight  of  every  good  Christian.  At  such 
times,  they  would  join  in  raising  a  psalm  some  half  a  mile 
or  so  before  coming  in  sight  of  the  gloomy  dell,  in  hopes 
thereby  to  get  the  spirit  of  grace  fully  up  in  time  for  the 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  107 

dreaded  contest ;  and  in  this  way  they  had  thus  far  been 
enabled  to  pass  through  the  swamp  safely  and  sound. 

Few  men,  however,  are  permitted  to  slip  quietly  through 
life  without  encountering  or  provoking  ill-will  from  some 
quarter  or  other ;  and  singing  Randull,  harmless  and  in- 
offensive as  was  his  mode  of  getting  along,  had  yet  un- 
consciously raised  up  an  enemy  who  at  last  fell  upon  an 
expedient  which  revenged  him  horribly  and  effectually. 
There  lived  at  that  time  (not  in  Simstown,  but)  in  the 
neighborhood,  a  roaring,  rattle-brained,  rumpussing  cha- 
racter of  a  fellow — the  very  counterpart  of  Brom  Bones 
— by  the  name  of  Bob  Bagshot,  whose  greatest  delight  was, 
at  the  head  of  his  gang,  to  keep  the  country,  for  miles 
around,  in  a  constant  stew  for  fear  of  his  frolics  or  pranks, 
but  who  nevertheless  managed  to  keep  on  the  good  side 
of  everybody,  and  performed,  in  his  sober  moments,  more 
acts  of  genuine  charity  and  benevolence  than  any  pious 
professor  in  the  whole  circuit  of  his  wild  domain.  Among 
the  women  especially  Bob  was  highly  esteemed  ;  for  woe 
to  that  hapless  husband  whose  cruel  or  harsh  treat- 
ment of  his  wife  reached  the  ears  of  Bob  Bagshot  or  any 
of  his  helter-skelter  followers!  He  was  sure,  in  such 
instances,  to  visit  on  the  offender  the  most  degrading 
punishment,  and  he  might  justly  consider  himself  a  most 
fortunate  man  who  escaped  a  ride  on  the  edge  of  a  sharp 
rail,  or  a  distressing  ducking  in  some  convenient  goose- 
pond.  At  the  same  time,  he  was  one  of  the  kindest 
neighbors  in  the  world,  and  never  hesitated  to  help  a 
friend  out  of  any  sort  of  difficulty.  If  one  got  deep  in 
the  grass  when  his  crop  was  growing.  Bob  took  his  own 
hands  and  worked  him  out.  Or,  if  the  constable  pounced 
down  suddenly  on  another,  and  security  would  answer 


4 


108  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

the  purpose  (Bob  never  kept  any  money,  and  had  no  use 
for  it),  the  same  ready  hand  was  always  by  to  write  a 
responsible  name. 

But  Bob,  maugre  all  his  innocent  wildness,  and  sin- 
cere benevolence  of  character,  had  his  failings  (as  who 
has  not?);  but  they  were  emphatically  failings  of  the 
hearty  not  of  the  head.  Bob  had  a  most  luscious  eye, 
and  loved  a  tidy,  bright-eyed  wrench  better  than  all 
things  else,  although  everybody  knew  that  he  was  not 
a  marrying  man.  If  ever  he  staid  all  night  at  a  farm- 
house (as  he  very  often  did),  the  good  dame  would  hunt 
up  her  romps  at  bedtime,  and  lock  them  securely  in  their 
room,  pretty  much  in  the  same  way  that  an  old  hen  gathers 
her  young  brood  beneath  her  wings  when  a  greedy  rob- 
ber of  a  hawk  is  seen  flying  suspiciously  overhead.  But 
she  must  have  been  a  sharp-witted  woman  who  could  out- 
general Bob  at  any  game  of  this  description ;  for,  after  all, 
it  was  ten  chances  to  one  if  he  was  not  seen  returning  be- 
times the  next  morning  from  the  cow-pen,  in  loving  gos- 
sip ry  with  the  milkmaid,  whose  flushed  cheeks,  and 
ruddy  lips,  and  sheepish  glances  of  the  eye  carried  sad 
convictions  to  the  mother's  heart,  whilst  the  old  farmer 
himself  would  dart  a  half  scowl  on  the  pair  with  a  deep 
sigh,  which  told  plainly  enough  that  he  suspected  more 
than  he  chose  to  express. 

Bob  was  the  head  man  at  all  the  bran  dances  of  the 
hamlet,  and  of  the  neighborhood  around,  was  foremost 
in  all  the  fishing  and  seining  parties,  and  took  the  lead, 
by  common  consent,  in  every  hunting  expedition  against 
deer  and  bear,  or  wolves  and  foxes.  He  could  wind 
the  clearest  and  fullest  blast  with  a  horn  of  any  man  in 
the  country ;  and  of  a  fine  frosty  morning,  ere  yet  the 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  109 

sun  rose,  one  note  from  his  well-known,  mellow-toned 
horn  was  the  signal  for  a  general  gathering  among  all 
the  hardy  lovers  of  sport  for  miles  around.  He  had  a 
signd  note  for  each  description  of  chase.  If  he  was  for 
a  deer-scouring,  one  sharp,  shrill,  high-keyed  blast  was 
sufficient  intimation  for  each  man  to  seek  out  the  stands, 
and  everything  went  on  as  well  as  if  they  had  met  and 
planned  the  part  of  every  one.  If  he  was  after  wolf, 
the  note  was  measured  and  prolonged,  swelling  louder 
and  louder  as  it  mingled  with  the  morning  breeze,  de- 
noting that  the  chase  was  one  which  required  vigilance 
and  perseverance  ;  for  this  animal  takes  always  a  wide 
circuit,  and  is  rarely  brought  to  the  death  under  four  or 
five  hours,  and  frequently  seven  or  eight.  If,  again,  he 
desired  to  jump  a  fox,  the  medley  of  peals  fell  in  such 
rapid  succession  from  the  horn  that  the  air  was  kept 
busy  enough  in  transporting  the  sounds  disconnectedly, 
whilst  they  infused  double  quick  motion  into  all  whom 
he  had  surprised  in  bed,  and  who  threw  on  any  clothes 
they  could  find  or  lay  hands  on,  any  sort  of  fashion,  and 
sometimes  in  no  fashion  at  all,  especially  if  they  wished 
to  be  present  when  the  dogs  first  started  in  cover.  But  it 
was  when  black  cufTy  was  the  destined  victim,  that  he 
showed  his  true  and  exquisite  command  over  the  tones 
of  his  horn.  This  time  the  blast  was  varied  every  se- 
cond, and  in  less  than  half  a  minute  the  whole  gamut 
would  be  gone  through  with  astonishing  precision  ;  show- 
ing that  cufFy  had  a  great  many  ways,  and  was  a  sly 
old  fellow,  and  that  all  who  pursued  him  must  keep 
every  eye  open.  His  hounds,  too,  understood  and  com- 
prehended the  meaning  of  these  different  keys  as  well  as 
the  best  huntsman ;  and  it  was  as  much  as  any  of  their 
10 


110  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

skins  were  worth  if  a  false  scent  was  struck  after  his 
intentions  had  been  thus  professionally  announced. 

Bob's  musical  accomplishments  did  not  stop  here, 
and  were  by  no  means  confined  to  his  performances  on 
the  horn.  He  was  given  up  to  be  the  best  fiddler  in  the 
whole  country,  and  could  turn  ofF  a  reel  in  the  merriest 
and  prettiest  time  in  the  world,  with  the  most  graceful 
ease  imaginable,  and  with  a  melody  so  exciting  and  in- 
spiring that  the  stifTest  limbs  would  imbibe  elasticity 
under  the  influence  of  his  touches,  whilst  the  active 
dancers  were  all  the  time  betwixt  the  ceiling  and  the 
floor.  For  this  reason,  among  others,  he  was  always 
the  most  welcome  and  favored  of  visitors  at  the  quilting 
frolics ;  indeed,  if  by  the  time  the  last  line  was  marked 
out,  and  the  last  fold  of  the  quilt  turned,  Bob  Bagshot 
had  not  arrived,  nothing  went  right.  The  men  were  dull 
and  sulky,  the  girls  full  of  pouts  and  angry  tosses. 
But  the  moment  that  his  familiar  footstep  was  heard  on 
the  door-sill  of  the  cabin,  presto! — change! — begone, 
dull  care ! — everything  came  right  in  a  trice.  The  boys 
rallied,  and  dashed  at  the  girls  ;  and  the  girls  themselves 
fell  to  romping  and  shaking  their  petticoats  with  such 
enticing  leers  and  mischievous  ogles  that  Bob  could  do 
no  less  than  kiss  each  one  by  turn  all  around  the  room. 
What  wonder,  then,  that  sagacious  mothers,  with  all  their 
partiality  for  the  young  man,  should  play  shy  with  their 
ardent  daughters  when  Bob  Bagshot  called  to  spend  the 
night  under  their  roof? 

Now  it  happened  that  Bob  had  become  deeply  smit- 
ten with  the  pretty  face,  the  plump  limbs,  and  ripe 
charms  of  Miss  Charity  Plainlove,  and  of  late  months 
was  getting  to  be  a  very  frequent  guest   at   Frogmarsh, 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  Ill 

where  he  was  a  very  great  favorite.  But  it  behoved 
him  to  play  his  game  very  cautiously  here,  for  the  plain, 
honest-hearted  old  farmer  \vas  not  the  man,  by  any 
means,  who  would  tamely  tolerate  any  undue  familiarity 
with  his  girls.  I  do  not  charge  that  Bob  had  conceived, 
or  designed  to  perpetrate  any  scandalous  impropriety  in 
connection  with  Miss  Charity,  but  he  certainly  was  fired 
with  her  beauty  and  charms  to  a  much  greater  extent 
than  he  ever  had  been  before,  and  just  as  certainly  en- 
tertained no  sort  of  intention  about  marrying  her.  How- 
ever, he  planned  a  great  many  fishing  excursions,  and 
muscadine  hunts,  and  wild  grape  searches,  in  which  he 
managed  to  have  numerous  agreeable  tete-a-tetes  with  his 
fair  innamorata,  and  set  himself  no  little  ahead  in  winning 
her  good  graces.  Whilst  this  project  was  in  full  fervor,  and 
waxing  to  a  termination  most  delightful  to  Bob's  yearn- 
ing wishes,  it  happened  that  our  friend,  singing  Randall 
(unluckily  for  him,  poor  fellow^),  was  at  the  same  time 
employed  in  getting  cypress  shingles  for  Mr.  Plainlove, 
and  was  sojourning  in  his  house.  Returning  one  even- 
ing rather  late  from  his  labors,  and  taking  the  path  which 
led  to  the  house  by  w^ay  of  the  spring,  Tony,  on  passing 
close  by  a  cluster  of  fragrant  vines  which  formed  a  sort 
of  bower  on  the  side  of  the  trail,  was  startled  no  little  at 
hearing  a  quick,  sharp  smack  of  a  noise  something  like 
the  crack  of  a  good  keen-turned  wagon  whip.  Ever  on 
the  alert  for  goblin  pranks,  Tony  stopped  to  listen,  and 
cast  a  fearful  glanoC  through  the  bushes,  when  he  w^as 
relieved,  but  piously  shocked,  to  see  his  employer's  pretty 
daughter  most  amorously  embraced  by  Mr.  Bagshot, 
who,  in  Tony's  opinion,  was  scarcely  less  to  be  dreaded 
than  a  real  devil,  any  way.     Charity's  quick  eye,  how- 


112  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

ever,  had  found  him  first,  and  she  managed  most  dex- 
terously to  push  Bob  from  her,  as  though  his  familiarity 
had  been  distasteful.     Charity  was  always  a  sly  hussy! 

Now,  whether  Tony  ever  actually  mentioned  the  cir- 
cumstance to  Mr.  Plainlove  or  not,  I  cannot  exactly  say; 
but  certain  it  is  that,  on  their  return  to  the  house,  the 
manner  of  the  old  gentleman  was  so  altered,  and  he 
treated  his  late  favored  guest  with  such  marked  cool- 
ness, that  Bob  ordered  his  horse,  and  put  right  off  for 
home  that  night,  boiling  over  with  rage,  and  burning 
with  mortification.  Never  before  had  he  met  with  a 
reverse  so  decided,  and  although  he  w^as  ready  at  all 
times  to  face  any  description  of  foe,  and  defied  the  whole 
army  of  evil  spirits  and  ghosts,  yet  Bob  was  not  one  w^ho 
could  rest  with  an  easy  conscience  under  the  just  dis- 
pleasure of  an  honest  man.  Sad.  and  luckless  discovery 
did  that  prove  to  poor  Tony  Randall,  for  Bob  vowed  and 
treasured  deep  vengeance,  and  Bob  w^as  a  dangerous 
enemy  when  he  had  cause  to  be  an  enemy!  The  whole 
affair,  however,  blew  smoothly  over,  and  slumbered  for 
months;  and,  in  fact,  had  completely  died  away  in  the 
recollection  of  everybody  save  the  victim  of  Tony's 
pious  tattling,  and  one  or  two  of  his  "  clansmen  true." 
Of  these,  the  most  prominent  were  Derry  Dropper,  com- 
monly called  Handy-Dandy,  from  his  fine  looks,  and 
expert  dashing  ways,  and  Dick  Bumbleby,  a  sly  old  dog 
of  a  roister,  always  ready  for  a  spree  where  fun  was  the 
stake,  and  never  known  to  desert  hfe  post  over  a  noggin 
of  apple  toddy,  or  a  bowl  of  whisky  grog.  These  two 
w^ere  perfect  antipodes  in  disposition,  manner,  and  tem- 
perament. 

Handy-Dandy,  as  his  nickname  imported,  was  active. 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  113 

Open-hearted,  and  free-handed  in  everything  he  did, 
and  was  scarcely  less  accomplished  than  Bob  Bagshot 
himself  in  all  that  has  been  ascribed  to  that  worthy 
hero ;  and  when  it  came  to  shooting,  Derry  asked  his 
leader  no  odds.  His  aim  was  more  deadly  than  that  of 
Boone,  or  Davy  Crockett,  for  he  had  often  been  known 
to  drop  a  buck  dead  in  his  tracks  before  he  could  make 
a  bound,  then,  wheeling  most  alertly  in  his  saddle,  bring 
down  the  doe  who  had  sprung  off  in  the  opposite  di- 
rection, before  she  had  got  fairly  out  of  pistol  range. 
Richard,  or  Dick  Bumbleby,  on  the  contrary,  was  a 
clumsy,  dozy-looking,  inscrutable  old  blade,  with  no- 
thing active  about  him  but  his  brain,  w^hich  was  known  to 
be  so  inventive  in  all  matters  of  mischief  that  the  neigh- 
bors used  to  dub  him  by  the  unconsecrated  cognomen 
of  Old  Hellcat,  which  probably  had  been  first  sug- 
gested as  much  from  the  middle  letter  of  his  name  as 
from  his  supposed  satanic  connections.  Poor  Dick!  thy 
roistering  days  are  long  since  over!  But  the  wild  lovers 
of  good  cheer  never  had  a  more  faithful,  long-headed 
ally  than  thou  wert  in  the  fine  old  days  of  thy  prime ! 
and  well  had  it  been  if  no  worse  man  had  ever  breathed 
the  air  of  this  vexatious  planet  of  ours! 

If  ever  these  three  were  detected  in  secret  session^r 
joining  heads  on  any  scheme  of  rumpusing,  the  honest 
people  of  Simstown  and  the  neighborhood  were  sure  to 
suspect  that  mischief  was  brewing,  and  looked  out  sharply 
for  squalls  during  the  night.  The  poultry  roosts  were 
doubly  sentineled,  the  bee-hives  were  strongly  barricaded, 
the  stable-doors  carefully  barred  and  locked,  the  yard  and 
garden  gates  well  pinned  and  clamped,  and  every  watch- 
dog in  the  hamlet  unchained.     If  an  old  rusty  firelock 

10* 


114  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

could  be  mustered  by  hook  or  by  crook,  it  was  thought 
best  to  load  it  with  powder  and  peas,  so  that  a  harmless 
demonstration  of  fight  might  be  made  in  case  of  assault 
on  the  girls'  quarters.  Woe  to  the  gig  or  wagon,  or  any 
species  of  vehicle,  which  had  been  left  unprotected  on 
these  nights  of  terror!  The  owner  was  always  forced  to 
drag  the  Buttahalchie  for  days  afterwards,  and  he  was 
lucky  then  if  he  was  enabled  to  fish  up  the  wheels  of  his 
vehicle  in  a  whole  state.  But  the  favorite  diversion  was 
to  catch  up  old  stray  horses,  turned  out  to  grass  for  the 
balance  of  life,  and,  tying  wads  of  flaming  turpentine  to 
their  stumps  of  tails,  start  the  affrighted  animals,  charg- 
ing and  tearing,  through  the  plantations  and  along  the 
roads,  neighing  and  snorting  at  such  hideous  rates  as  to 
make  many  a  credulous  and  startled  soul  jump  nimbly 
up,  for  fear  that  judgment  day  had  come  at  last. 

I  think  now  that  the  sensible  reader  will  agree  with  me 
that  singing  Randall  was  under  goblin  influence,  or  at 
least  had  jumped  into  bad  business,  the  day  and  hour  in 
which  it  fell  to  his  lot  to  arouse  the  spleen  of  the  Cory- 
phaeus of  a  band  such  as  I  have  endeavored  to  describe; 
and  to  this  worthy  gentleman  and  his  adventures  it  is 
now  high  time  I  should  return. 

fJVinter  w^as  now  passed  away,  and  spring  succeeded, 
and  one  fine  night  a  proposal  was  made  by  a  sagacious 
old  Simstown  farmer  that  several  should  join  in  slaugh- 
tering a  few  fat  young  beeves  for  the  purpose  of  sending 
them  to  the  town  market,  where  beef  always  commanded 
the  finest  prices.  As  it  was  a  busy  time  in  the  crops, 
Tony  Randall,  as  usual,  w^as  selected  to  conduct  the 
transportation,  negotiate  the  sale,  and  account  on  his  re- 
turn for  each  man's  net  profits.     So  day  had  scarcely 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  115 

dawned  on  the  following  morn,  when,  nicely  fitted  off 
with  a  strong,  light  two-horse  wagon,  with  the  ghastly 
and  reeking  remains  of  yesternight's  slaughter  snugly 
stowed  and  packed,  Tony  mounted  the  lead  mule,  w^hip 
in  hand,  and  started  off  at  a  merry  round  trot.  On  the 
brow  of  the  hill  just  beyond  the  hamlet,  he  stopped  a  mo- 
ment for  his  chosen  companion  and  Christian  brother ; 
and  Uncle  Ned,  already  equipped  for  the  journey,  hobbled 
to  his  accustomed  place  in  the  wagon.  As  the  day  had 
been  delightfully  cool  and  pleasant,  and  no  accident  oc- 
curred to  delay  them  on  the  road,  the  two  travelers  de- 
scried, long  ere  the  noontide  hour,  the  shining  domes  and 
lofty  spires  of  the  city,  looming  gorgeously  in  the  broad 
sunlight ;  and  being  cheered  up  considerably  by  the  beau- 
tiful sight,  they  quickened  pace,  and  soon  drove  up  and 
halted  in  the  shade  of  the  market-house  on  Main  Street. 
Here,  according  to  custom.  Uncle  Ned  was  left  to  mind 
the  mules  and  beef,  whilst  Tony  hurried  off  to  find  buy- 
ers for  his  produce.  This  was  not  so  easily  done  at  that 
hour  of  the  day,  and,  despite  the  most  vigorous  efforts  he 
could  make,  it  w^as  many  hours  past  noon  before  he  dis- 
posed of  the  last  quarter  of  beef.  He  had  now  to  trade 
off  a  bag  or  two  of  dried-apples  belonging  to  some  thrifty 
farmer's  wife ;  get  rid  of  several  bundles  of  otter  and  buck 
hides  which  had  been  entrusted  to  him  by  a  neighbor; 
besides  making  divers  purchases  of  calicoes,  and  cotton 
head  handkerchiefs,  and  a  jug  or  two  of  mellow  old  Mo- 
nongahela  for  the  farmers  themselves — who  all  adhered 
to  the  fine  ancient  custom  of  taking  a  glass  of  grog  when 
th^  liked,  or  w^hen  a  friend  called  to  see  them.  By  the 
time  all  the  errands  w^ere  run,  and  orders  filled,  and 
mules  geared  and  hitched  up,  and  everything  ready  to 


116  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

start  bade,  Tony  and  his  companion  beheld  with  quaking 
hearts  that  the  sun  was  scarcely  more  than  an  hour  high, 
whilst  Black  Creek  was  to  be  crossed  at  the  distance  of 
full  seven  miles  from  town,  with  a  deep,  sandy  road  for  the 
most  of  the  way  at  that.  Nothing  was  left,  however,  but 
to  make  the  best  of  it  they  could,  for,  as  to  remaining  all 
night  in  town,  at  a  heavy  expense  of  man  and  beast, 
without  at  least  a  better  apology  than  it  was  in  Tony's 
power  to  offer,  was  altogether  out  of  the  question.  They 
started,  therefore,  with  heavy  forebodings  of  evil,  for,  by 
the  most  hapless  coincidence  in  the  world,  they  had  now 
found  to  their  dismay  that  it  was  the  awful  anniversary 
of  the  old  traveler's  tragical  fate.  Had  this  been  known 
before  they  left  Simstown,  it  is  more  than  probable  that 
no  reward  could  have  induced  either  to  undertake  the 
journey  on  that  day. 

They  had  now  hardly  gone  a  mile  beyond  the  environs 
of  the  city,  struggling  manfully  to  hasten  through  the 
deep  sand  which  so  inopportunely  clogged  and  impeded 
their  gait  at  this  most  trying  and  anxious  moment,  when 
a  whippowil,  all  of  a  sudden,  began  to  trill  forth  his 
gloomy  and  mournful  notes,  bringing  increased  sadness 
to  their  troubled  bosoms,  and  most  provokingly  and  re- 
markably, as  the/  thought,  following  them  for  a  mile  or 
BO  further  on  their  journey.  Such  a  sign  was  considered 
almost  fatal  by  old  Ned,  and  he  began  seriously  to  mis- 
give already.  The  sun  was  now  beginning  to  dip,  and 
despite  the  most  vigorous  pace  to  which  they  could  urge 
the  mules,  it  entirely  disappeared  before  they  completed 
the  first  five  miles ;  and  as  evening  deepened,  and  ttN'i- 
light,  with  its  murky  glimmerings,  shrouded  the  objects 
ahead,  the  shadows  of  the  trees  already  seemed,  to  their 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  117 

excited  visions,  like  so  many  huge  skeletons  waving  their 
arms  about  and  around  m  the  obscurity. 

At  length,  to  their  terror  and  agony  of  heart,  darkness 
overtook  them  whilst  yet  a  mile  from  the  dreaded  spot. 
The  moon  had  not  yet  risen  ;  and  the  stars,  unveiled  in 
all  their  beauty  and  resplendence,  alone  shed  their  mild 
and  subdued  lustre  over  the  scene.  But  the  beauty  and 
calmness  of  the  night  had  now  no  charms  for  these  trou- 
bled brethren,  for  Tony  had  more  than  once  already  sug- 
gested to  his  more  aged  and  dull-sighted  companion  that 
the  stars  were  entirely  too  restless  above,  and  shifted  their 
places  much  too  often  to  bode  any  good.  Uncle  Ned 
tremulously  allowed  that  this  was  another  most  evil  omen, 
and  begged  Tony  to  unite  with  him  in  a  fervent  prayer 
that  the  Almighty  would  not  forget  his  servants  in  the 
hour  of  trouble,  but  would  shield  and  defend  them  in 
any  unsanctified  conflict  which  Satan  might  then  be  plan- 
ning against  them.  Accordingly,  the  old  fellow  proceed- 
ed to  offer  up  a  most  eloquent  petition,  workinghimself  up, 
as  he  progressed,  to  a  full  pitch  of  fervency,  whilst  Tony 
would  occasionally  scotch  him  with  an  earnest  and  dolo- 
rous amen.  Scarcely  was  the  prayer  brought  to  a  close 
w^hen  Tony  opened  loudly  with  one  of  his  most  melodi- 
ous psalms,  as  if  thus  to  keep  up  the  flow  of  divine  ardor 
with  w^hich  they  were,  by  this  time,  plentifully  warmed  ; 
and  his  fine  strong  voice,  accompanied  by  the  old  negro's 
bass,  echoed  delightfully  through  the  woods  which  bor- 
dered the  wide  common  on  which  they  had  now  en- 
tered. The  night  was  so  calm  and  still  that  the  lusty 
notes  of  the  singers  w^ere  distinctly  heard  at  the  farm- 
houses a  mile  or  so  distant  from  the  road  ;  and  many, 
since  the  dire  and  melancholy  catastrophe,  have  vividly 


118  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

recalled,  and  detailed  to  wondering  auditors,  the  mournful 
impression^  made  on  them  while  listening  to  the  solemn 
dirge. 

It  was  now  grown  quite  dark,  and  at  length,  with 
trembling  anxiety,  the  hapless  brothers  reached  the 
brow  of  the  gentle  hill  which  overlooked  the  gloomy 
recess  of  the  ford,  and  which  now  did  indeed  appear  to 
them  as  the  entrance  into  the  ^'  Valley  of  the  Shadow  of 
Death."  The  last  habitable  house  had  been  passed 
more  than  a  mile  back  ;  it  was  at  least  as  far  to  the  first 
one  beyond,  and  no  living  creatures  but  themselves  were 
in  sight,  or  near  enough  to  aid  them  if  accident  should 
indeed  befall.  Under  these  circumstances,  the  pious 
souls  thought  it  not  irreverent  to  assist  the  warmth  of 
divine  grace  by  a  swill  of  the  old  Monongahela  which 
they  had  along,  and  they  accordingly  shook  hands,  and 
took  several  hearty  swallows  a-piece.  A  happy  thought 
now  occurred  to  singing  Randall,  which  was  to  put  the 
mules  under  a  full  career  of  headw^ay  down  the  hill,  and, 
wdth  the  momentum  thus  gained,  whip  through  the  vale 
under  a  full  volley  of  psalmody,  storm  vigorously  the 
opposite  hill,  and  gain  the  open  space  beyond  at  top 
speed. 

The  first  act  of  this  ingenious  programme  was  finely 
executed ;  but, just  as  they  got  into  the  valley,  and  scented 
th€  fragrant  waters  of  the  creek  rippling  gently  over  the 
pebbly  channel,  the  mules,  as  if  suddenly  possessed  of  a 
devil,  plunged  madly  and  uncontrollably,  to  their  very 
bellies,  in  the  dark  gulf  on  the  left  side,  and  began  to 
quench  the  thirst  which  the  hot  weather  and  active  travel 
had  so  naturally  produced.  To  increase  the  terrors  in- 
spired by  this  luckless    prank,  a   large,  deep-mouthed 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  119 

owl  greeted  their  entrance  into  the  bloody  pool,  with  a 
shriek  of  such  startling  energy  as  fairly  to  raise  erect 
every  hair  on  their  heads.  But  now,  whilst  everything 
around  was  hushed  into  listening  silence,  their  ears  were 
appalled  with  a  sound  which  struck  a  cold  chill  to  their 
hearts,  and  made  them  awfully  sensible  of  the  ghostly 
associations  of  the  time  and  place.  A  dull,  clanging 
noise,  something  like  the  shock  of  metal,  came  from 
amongst  the  willow  thickets  on  their  right,  and  old  Ned 
sank,  shaking,  into  the  bottom  of  the  wagon  as  the  idea 
of  the  drowned  soldiers  crossed  his  mind  ;  whilst  Tony 
made  several  husky,  gurgling  attempts  to  raise  a  hymn, 
in  hopes  thus  to  allay  his  restless  spirits.  But  no  mortal 
pen  can  paint  the  agony  which  seized  them,  when  the 
night  breeze  bore  to  their  ears  the  sound  of  a  low, 
tremulous  whistle  from  the  slope  of  the  hill,  and,  pre- 
sently afterwards,  the  footfall  of  a  horse  striking  on  the 
hard  ground.  Tony  recognized  the  signal,  and  his  knees 
struck  against  the  sides  of  his  mule  at  a  fearful  rate,  and 
his  teeth  chattered  as  though  he  had  been  seized  with 
tertian  ague ;  whilst  old  Ned,  equally  anticipating  what 
was  to  come,  lay  sweating  and  groaning  under  piles  of 
straw  and  drygood  bundles.  Their  fears  were  indeed 
well  grounded,  for  Tony  presently  descried  the  dim  out- 
lines of  what  seemed  to  be  the  figure  of  a  stout  and 
portly  horseman,  riding  calmly  and  slowly  down  the  hill, 
and  he  instantly  knew  it  for  the  apparition  of  the  mur- 
dered traveler.  The  cold  damps  gathered  on  his  fore- 
head as  the  spirit  approached.  A  vague  hope,  however, 
struck  him  that  it  might,  at  last,  be  only  a  living  person, 
benighted  like  himself,  and  he  made  a  hoarse  effort  to 
draw  up  voice  enough  to  venture  on  a  hail ;  but,  at  that 


120  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

moment,  he  was  jarred  through  and  through  by  the  loud 
report  of  a  pistol,  and  the  air  was  immediately  scented 
with  a  strong  and  sickening  odor  of  brimstone.  The 
blood  curdled  in  Tony's  veins,  and  his  muscles  became 
perfectly  rigid  from  fright ;  he  was  like  a  petrified  man 
for  the  rest  of  the  time,  endowed  only  with  the  sense  of 
sight.  True  to  the  legend  in  every  particular,  the  tra- 
veler fell  heavily  and  clumsily  from  the  saddle,  with  a 
deep,  sonorous  groan  ;  a  dark  figure  rushed  out  from  the 
thicket,  rifled  the  pockets  of  the  fallen  man,  and  then, 
mounting  a  huge  black  steed,  which  Tony  then  saw^  rise 
apparently  from'out  of  the  earth,  his  whole  neck  and  head 
in  one  solid  flame,  vanish  in  an  instant  on  the  top  of  the 
hill,  according  to  the  story.  Tony  now  surrendered  him- 
self, soul  and  body,  to  the  mercy  of  Satan.  As  for  old 
Ned,  the  fire  of  the  pistol  had  jarred  all  hearing  and  feel- 
ing out  of  him,  and  he  lay  in  a  fit  of  fortunate  insensi- 
bility. But  the  horrid  drama  was  not  yet  concluded  ; 
the  noise  of  the  explosion,  or  the  familiar  fumes  of  the 
brimstone,  seemed  to  have  evoked  the  ghosts  of  others 
who  had  yielded  up  their  lives  on  the  fatal  spot.  The 
air  resounded  wdth  dismal  wailings.  Blazing  fireballs 
whizzed  threateningly  around  and  about.  Two  spectral 
figures,  with  plumes  and  dragoon  swords,  were  seen 
curveting  on  lank,  bony  horse,s,  through  the  openings  of 
willow  branches,  whilst  a  heavy  body  fell,  as  if  from  an 
impending  limb,  w4th  a  loud  plash  in  the  deep  pool ;  and 
then  the  fireballs  exploded  simultaneously  with  a  deaf- 
ening roar,  leaving  all  in  total  darkness. 

Up  to  this  time  the  gentle  mules,  thirsted  almost  to 
death,  had  stood  with  provoking  calmness  amidst  the 
whole  goblin  array;  but    this  last   scene  had  been  too 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  121 

much  even  for  their  hardy  nerves,  and  they  plunged  for- 
ward, blowing  and  snorting  most  furiously,  with  a  dead 
aim  for  the  direction  home.  About  half  w^ay  up  the  hill, 
the  stupefied  Tony  lost  his  balance,  and,  to  his  agony  and 
dismay,  was  hurled  violently  from  his  seat,  and  left  alone 
and  unaided  to  make  his  way  through  the  ghostly  foes 
that  encompassed  him.  Yet,  even  in  that  awful  moment, 
did  the  honest-hearted  creature  find  time  to  experience 
one  passing  regret  for  the  fate  of  his  insensible  old  com- 
rade, and  to  lament  the  probable  loss  of  his  employers' 
money  and  goods.  *  .^  jk 

The  n?ght  passed  and  morning  came,  and  the  sun, 
rising  in  cloudless  lustre,  lighted  with  his  glorious  and 
cheering  rays  the  scene  of  goblin  revelry.  But  the 
return  of  his  friendly  and  welcome  light  had  been  far  too 
long  delayed  to  bring  another  happy  morrow  to  the  unfor- 
tunate Tony.  No  visible  traces  of  his  fate  were  to  be 
found,  and  singing  Randall  has  never  been  since  seen  in 
Simstown  or  Columbus. 

But,  at  an  early  hour  of  the  day  succeeding,  an  old 
planter  in  the  neighborhood  came  suddenly  upon  a  wagon 
which  rested  partly  on  a  huge  stump,  with  the  tongue 
and  hounds  broken  to  pieces,  and  no  sign  of  gear  or 
horses  in  sight.  On  looking  in,  he  observed  an  aged 
negro  seemingly  in  a  deep  sleep,  and  detected  a  strong, 
fragrant  smell  of  fine  old  Monongahela.  He  then  saw 
a  suspicious-looking  jug,  with  the  stopper  out,  and  on 
shaking  it  discovered  that  it  was  scarcely  more  than  half 
full  of  liquor.  This,  as  he  vainly  imagined,  unfolded 
the  whole  secret,  and  he  applied  several  vigorous  kicks 
to  the  old  sleeper's  brawny  sides;  and  then  he  first 
found  that  it  was  the  old  patriarch  Ned.  He  sent  him 
11 


122  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

carefully  home  under  the  guidance  of  a  trusty  boy  of  his 
own,  where,  after  accounting  for  and  paying  over  all 
the  money  found  in  the  coat  of  his  missing  brother,  old 
Ned  boldly  told  his  story,  and  expressed  his  fears  with 
weeping  eyes  for  the  fate  of  poor  singing  Randall.  But 
the  appearance  of  the  jug,  and  the  absence  of  the  whisky, 
were  against  the  worthy  patriarch,  and  his  master,  wisely 
concluding  that  one  drink  very  naturally  led  to  more, 
discarded  the  faithful  old  servant  from  his  confidence. 
But  the  patriarch's  misfortunes  ended  not  even  with  this. 
He  w^as  taken  up  by  the  church,  and  his  story  being 
cruelly  discredited,  old  Ned  was  left  hereafter  to  ^' serve 
God  on  his  own  hook"  (as  the  Simstown  lads  irreverently 
expressed  it),  without  even  the  faintest  hope  of  ever  be- 
ing restored. 

At  length,  a  year  or  so  afterward,  a  Methodist  presid- 
ing eld^r,  well  known  for  his  piety  and  Christian  zeal 
(though  he  w^as  also  fond  both  of  telling  and  enjoying  a 
good  joke  in  his  way),  happening  to  stay  all  night  at 
Simstown,  reported,  with  sundry  grim  smiles  and  grave 
contortions  of  the  face,  that  he  had  actually  seen  '^  Brother 
Randall"  at  a  camp-meeting  on  the  far-off  pine  barrens 
of  Fayette;  that  he  still  bore  an  excellent  character;  and 
that  at  last,  with  great  reluctance,  he  had  told  him  the 
marvelous  cause  of  his  mysterious  disappearance,  which 
tallied  exactly  with  the  story  of  old  Ned.  This  same 
reverend  and  ingenious  gentleman  also  visited  Columbus 
shortly  afterwards,  and,  witnessing  the  parade  of  a  certain 
fine  horse  company,  recollected  that  several  of  the  wild 
Simstown  boys  were  members  of  the  corps,  and  was 
observed  to  shake  his  head  most  jocosely  several  times. 
It  was  observed,  too,  by  a  few  sagacious  persons,  that. 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  123 

whenever  these  conjectures  of  the  good  parson's  were 
mentioned  in  the  presence  of  the  suspected  trio,  Bob 
smuggled  his  usually  merry  face  into  an  expression  of  the 
most  ludicrous  gravity;  Derry  always  began  to  whistle, 
or  blow  his  horn  if  on  horseback;  whilst  Dick  Bumbleby 
would  unconsciously  dilate  his  mischievous,  sleepy-look- 
ing little  blue  eyes,  and  at  last  contort  the  muscles  of 
his  mouth  into  a  sort  of  half-roguish  smile. 

It  is  not  for  me  to  inquire  further  into  the  particulars 
of  this  legend;  but  my  readers  may,  perhaps,  have  been 
sufficiently  interested  to  find  some  pleasure  in  being  told 
that  the  good  parson,  after  measuring  all  these  circum- 
stances, after  making  a  few  more  inquiries  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, and  comparing  all  with  the  story  of  old  Ned  and 
Tony  Randal],  succeeded  in  restoring  the  former  to  all 
his  church  privileges ;  whilst  the  latter  still  lives  to  enjoy  a 
camp-meeting  festival,  although  nothing  has  ever  induced 
him  of  late  years  to  remain  out  of  doors  later  than  sun* 
set. 


124  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES, 


CHAPTER    IX. 

INKLING  OF  AN  ADVENTURE  WITH  "  OLD  SOL." 

I  THINK  the  assertion  may  be  very  safely  hazarded 
that  few  characters  in  these  United  States  are  so  univer- 
sally and  affectionately  known  as  the  distinguished  South- 
ern comedian,  Sol.  Smith,  Esq.,  far  oftener  called  by  his 
noted  sobriquet  of  "  Old  Sol."  Everybody  likes  him; 
and  I  have  not  learned  from  any  source  that  he  ever 
made  an  enemy  in  the  whole  course  of  his  active  life.  In- 
deed, I  believe  he  has  met  wnth  extraordinarily  fine  luck 
in  one  particular,  at  least,  for  a  professional  man,  which 
is  that  he  has  never  excited  the  splenetic  jealousy  of 
histrionic  compeers,  although  few  actors  have  elicited 
such  wide-spread  admiration,  or  received  such  pleasing 
and  substantial  evidences  of  success.  His  theatrical 
career,  since  his  reputation  was  established,  has  been  a 
career  of  applause  and  popularity,  and  the  side  scenes  of 
his  life  have  given  rise  to  more  amusing  anecdotes  and 
really  laughable  incidents  than  any  which  have  been 
concocted  even  in  connection  with  Davy  Crockett  him- 
self, that  most  original  of  all  our  American  characters. 
His  amiability  and  benevolence  are  proverbial ;  and  his 
kindness  and  patronage  to  young  aspirants  to  histrionic 
eminence  are  so  generally  known,  that  I  believe  it  may 
be  said  "  Old  Sol"  has  been  the  means  of  calling  into 
life  more  dramatic  talent  than  any  or  all  of  his  cotempo- 


^  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES*  125 

.raries  ;  whilst  his  energy  and  enterprise  in  catering  to 
*the  public  amusement  have  long  since  entered  his  name 
on  the  note-book  of  the  historian.  Many,  even,  who  do 
not  know  him  personally  (and  I  am  one  of  the  number) 
can  recall  some  of  the  most  agreeable  associations  of 
their  lives  in  connection  wuth  his  name,  and  I  doubt 
not  that  he  has  warm  friends  and  sincere  admirers 
whom  he  has  never  seen.  The  peasant  and  the  states- 
man, the  votary  of  fashion  and  the  humble  mechanic, 
the  moralist  and  the  gamester,  the  pious  and  the  wicked, 
the  nabob  and  the  beggar,  are  alike  attached  to  some 
pleasant  reminiscence  of  which  "  Old  Sol"  was  the  hero. 
His  droll  humor  and  inimitable  acting  have  brightened 
a  passing  hour  with  many  a  victim  of  ruin  and  distress, 
and  beguiled  the  tedium  and  ennui  of  many  a  listless 
voluptuary.  He  has  often  called  back  life  and  lustre  to 
the  fading  eye  of  tremulous  old  age,  and  made  the  blood 
run  warm  again  through  withered  veins  as  some  emo- 
tion of  delight  thrilled  the  feeble  frame.  The  young  have 
felt  more  intensely  the  pleasures  of  hope  and  of  the  fu- 
ture, as  some  comic  expression  or  grotesque  contortion 
of  the  popular  actor  w^ould  cheat  them  into  fits  of  wel- 
come laughter,  and  drive  away  the  melancholy  of,  per- 
haps, a  first  reverse.  In  fact,  "Old  Sol"  holds  a  snug 
little  corner  in  the  heart  of  every  one  who  has  ever  had 
the  good  luck  to  see  him  under  full  headway  in  the  per- 
formance of  some  favorite  and  apposite  comedy. 

Now,  although  the  distinguished  comedian  may  chance 
to  have  as  little  real  connection  as  anybody  else  with 
the  following  sketch,  I  have  thought  this  short  pre- 
face necessary  to  a  full  understanding  by  the  reader  of 
its  point   and   incident.     Indeed,  it   cannot   be  realized 

11* 


126  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

at  all  unless  one  calls  to  mind  the  features  and  person 
of  the  old  actor,  and  all  the  leading  characteristics  which 
have  rendered  his  name  famous  apart  from  his  profes- 
sional celebrity.  And  if  he  shall  be  in  the  land  of  the 
living  (as  I  sincerely  and  honestly  trust  he  may  be) 
when  this  composition  reaches  the  public,  I  hope  I  shall 
have  his  pardon  for  the  unauthorized  introduction  of  his 
familiar  and  respected  name. 

It  happened  to  me,  then,  several  years  ago,  to  be  a  pas- 
senger on  board  the  elegant  packet  steamer  Oregon,  on 
her  trip  from  Mobile  to  New  Orleans,  across  the  lovely 
Lakes  of  Borgne  and  blue-bosomed  Pontchartrain.  The 
boat  was  thronged  with  passengers  of  both  sexes,  but 
among  all  of  them  I  discovered  that  I  had  not,  for  a 
wonder,  a  solitary  acquaintance.  As  we  were  about  to 
visit  waters  and  scenes,  however,  which  were  always 
peculiarly  alive  with  pleasant  interest  to  me,  I  did  not 
very  greatly  regret  this  fact,  although  I  have  as  much 
quiet  sociability  in  my  nature  as  most  people,  and  like 
to  see  a  familiar  face  in  a  strange  place  as  w^ll  as  others. 

On  opening  the  register,  to  enter  my  name  in  time  to 
secure  an  agreeable  berth,  I  was  surprised  and  rather 
delighted  to  observe,  in  neat,  plain  characters,  the  auto- 
graph (as  I  suppose  it  must  have  been)  of  the  veritable 
"  Old  Sol"  himself,  enrolled  as  a  volunteer  passenger 
during  our  short  cruise  from  Mobile  to  the  Crescent  City, 
Having  taken  care  in  this  quarter  for  my  comfort,  I  ap- 
proached the  gentlemen's  saloon,  in  the  main  cabin, 
where  I  found  most  of  the  passengers  already  congre- 
gated. I  took  my  seat  in  their  midst,  and  looked  cau- 
tiously around  to  find  if  I  could  detect  in  any  one  present 
the  features  and  person  of  the  celebrated  actor,  although 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  127 

I. questioned  much  ray  chances  of  success,  especially  as 
I  had  never  seen  Mr.  Smith  anywhere  but  on  the  stage. 
I  was  soon  at  fault,  however,  and  ascertained,  to  my  per- 
fect satisfaction,  that  none  in  the  saloon  answered  either  to 
the  various  descriptions  I  had  seen  of  "  Old  Sol's"  man- 
ner and  appearance  in  the  social  circle,  or  to  my  own  vivid 
conjectures  as  to  his  every-day  looks.  Apart  from  the 
rest  of  the  company,  but  rather  nearer  to  the  seat  I  had 
chosen,  w^as  a  group  of  easy,  well-dressed,  mirthful  com- 
panions, evidently  intimate  acquaintances,  all  arrayed 
around  a  small  table,  on  which  two  or  three  were  negli- 
gently resting  their  legs,  at  the  same  time  that  their 
bodies  were  snugly  ensconced  between  the  arms  of  the 
huge-cushioned  chairs  in  which  they  so  leisurely  reclined. 
It  was  easy  to  perceive,  at  a  single  glance,  that  these 
were  traveled  gentlemen,  whose  familiarity  with  the 
world  sustained  them  under  all  circumstances,  and  in 
any  place,  and  had  given  them  that  enviable  neglige 
and  nonchalance  which  carry  one  so  admirably  and  self- 
possessed  through  all  trying  situations,  from  the  glitter- 
ing parlor  of  a  fashionable  hotel  to  the  social  hall  of  a 
river  steamboat  or  country  tavern. 

Prominent  among  the  assemblage  was  a  flashy,  pert, 
talkative  young  gentleman,  the  very  prototype  of  a  genu- 
ine Broadway  exquisite,  of  tall  and  rather  handsome 
proportions,  whose  legs  were  gracefully  crossed  over  a 
corner  of  the  table,  with  his  smooth,  glossy  hat  half 
cocked  on  the  side  of  his  head,  and  his  ivor^^-mounted 
cane  playing  alternately  between  his  teeth  and  the  toes 
of  his  shining  boots.  A  pair  of  fierce,  red  whiskers 
curled  over  his  cheeks,  whilst  his  flowing  beard  would 
have  shamed  a  dervise  or  a  mullah.     He  was  evidently 


128  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

the  leading  personage  of  the  set,  for  a  short,  chubby- 
faced,  hawk-nosed  gentleman  at  his  side  made  a  point 
of  laughing  always  when  he  laughed  or  winked  his  eye 
knowingly ;  whilst  a  humorous-looking,  sagacious-eyed, 
fat  old  fellow  in  his  front,  and  a  fidgety,  grinning  little 
Frenchman  just  in  the  rear,  followed  suit  in  all  that  was 
said  or  done  by  the  hawk-nosed  man.  It  seemed  as  if 
the  likelihood  of  having  ''  Old  Sol"  as  a  fellow-passenger 
had  created  considerable  sensation  in  their  little  circle, 
as  well  as  with  me,  for  they  w^re  in  a  high  conversa- 
tional glee  at  some  pretty  tart  and  mirth-provoking  criti- 
cism which  the  hero  of  the  red  whiskers  had  just  uttered 
in  connection  wuth  the  appearance  and  traits  of  the 
Southern  comedian.  The  thought  occurred  to  me  that 
they  were  playing  rather  a  hazardous  game,  as  the  hour 
was  now  at  hand  when  it  was  fair  to  presume  that  all 
who  intended  to  go  over  were  on  board,  and  the 
worthy  object  of  their  wit  and  mirth  himself,  per- 
haps, quietly  stowed  away  in  some  part  of  the  cabin. 
The  same  idea  struck  the  old  fellow  of  the  merry  face, 
for  he  stopped  long  enough  in  his  laugh  to  suggest  that, 
as  none  of  them  knew  the  comedian  by  sight,  it  would  be 
best  to  carry  on  their  strictures  in  rather  a  lower  tone. 
The  w^ords  of  caution  had  scarcely  fallen  from  his  lips 
when  the  curtains  of  a  neighboring  berth  were  softly 
pulled  aside,  the  face  of  a  middle-aged  man  peered  sud- 
denly out,  and  was  turned  towards  the  group  with  such 
a  quizzical  expression  of  dry,  quiet  humor  that  the  laugh- 
ers shrank  coweringly  aback,  as  though  they  had  raised 
a  ghost;  whilst  I,  who  had  seen  "  Old  Sol"  only  a  night 
or  two  before,  in  his  famous  character  of  Dominie  Samp- 
son, could   almost  have  sworn  that  I   beheld  the  same 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  129 

facetious  twitches  of  the  mouth,  the  same  roguish  leer 
that  had  then  convulsed  the  whole  theatre,  when,  met 
suddenly  by  Meg  Merrilies  at  break  of  day  on  his  soli- 
tary visit  to  the  Kairn  of  Derncleugh,  the  counterpart  of 
Scott's  inimitable  character,  drawled  out,  with  quaking 
accent,  "prodigious!!"  The  "whiskered  Pandoor" 
smirked,  ejected  a  flake  of  dry,  white  spittle,  hung  his 
head  with  a  sheepish,  roguish  glance  of  the  eye  at  his 
companions,  w^ho  all  turned  about  like  a  parcel  of  idle 
boys  suddenly  caught  by  the  schoolmaster  at  some  mis- 
chievous prank.  But  they  were  not  held  long  in  this 
tortuous  duresse,  for  the  old  gentleman  of  the  quizzical 
face  had  only  raised  up,  apparently,  to  ask  of  a  passing 
servant  if  the  hour  for  starting  w^as  come,  and  then  drop- 
ped quietly  back  in  his  berth.  I  had  heard  and  read 
enough  of  "  Old  Sol's"  eccentricity  and  good-humored 
self-possession  to  know  that  this  was  precisely  his  mode 
of  warfare  under  all  like  circumstances,  and,  despite  my 
exertions  to  maintain  a  proper  degree  of  gravity,  could 
not  forbear  betraying  my  inward  convulsions  of  amuse- 
ment at  the  ludicrous  scene  by  open,  but  subdued, 
laughter. 

Scarcely  had  the  apparition  disappeared  when  the 
conclave  regained  their  wonted  ease  of  manner,  and  I 
was  eagerly  questioned  by  the  hawk-nosed  fellow,  in  an 
under  tone,  whether  I  could  tell  them  if  it  really  was  "Old 
Sol."  I  politely  declared  my  ignorance  of  the  manager's 
person,  and,  of  course,  could  give  them  no  satisfaction. 
The  servant  to  whom  the  mysterious  tenant  of  the  berth 
had  spoken  was  then  softly  called  up  and  questioned  in 
like  manner.  He  had  never  seen  Mr.  Smith  in  his  life, 
except  at  the  theatre,  did  not  know  him  from  any  other 


130  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

old  gentleman,  and  had  no  idea  of  his  identity  with  the 
inmate  of  No.  18.  In  the  midst  of  these  perplexing  won- 
ders and  surmises,  the  last  stroke  sounded,  and  the  boat 
was  soon  gliding  swiftly  through  the  water.  The  passes 
and  bars  were  safely  cleared,  dinner  w^as  served,  and  we 
sat  down  to  a  most  sumptuous  and  luxurious  repast.  The 
tenant  of  No.  18  must  have  been  a  sleepy-headed,  lazy 
old  fellow,  with  wonderful  control  over  his  appetite,  for 
he  did  not  make  his  appearance  at  table,  although  the 
savory  steam  from  the  numerous  tempting  dishes  laid 
before  us  must  have  penetrated  the  curtains  of  his  berth, 
and  inflamed  his  olfactories  no  little,  if  he  was  not  entire- 
ly innocuous  to  all  assaults  of  the  kind.  After  having 
watched  in  vain  for  his  appearance,  I  left  my  seat  among 
the  first,  desirous  to  gain  the  deck  and  witness  the  open- 
ing beauties  of  those  scenes  which  always  draw  forth  my 
admiration.  The  wide  expanse  of  Mobile  Bay  was  spread 
out  before  and  around  ;  its  limpid  waters  glistening  with 
the  rich  cerulean  hues  of  approaching  evening,  and  its 
broad  bosom  reposing  in  the  lovely  calm  of  midsummer 
night.  The  sight  was  beautiful  beyond  description  to 
one  whose  eyes  rested  the  whole  year  round  on  woods,  and 
fields,  and  land  prospects  ;  and  such  w^ere  the  stillness 
and  pleasant  temperature  of  the  evening,  that  I  almost 
forgot  hoar  winter  was  in  its  solstice.  Away  to  the  right 
could  be  seen  the  red  cliffs  of  the  opposite  shore,  whilst 
immediately  in  front  the  eye  was  caught  w4th  an  immense 
array  of  masts  and  spars  as  the  distant  ships  rose  up  on 
the  horizon,  presenting  the  appearance  of  a  large  forest 
of  decayed  and  leafless  trees.  Numerous  sail  craft,  as 
cutters,  schooners,  and  brigs,  were  strung  out  on  the 
broad  pathway,  laden  with  the  staple  commodity  of  the 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  131 

city,  which  they  were  bearing  to  the  larger-sized  vessels 
anchored  in  the  bay.  Daring  some  hours  past,  the  white 
shores  of  Dauphin  Island  had  been  in  sight,  and  now,  as 
night  approached,  we  skirted  along  its  coast,  and  found 
that  our  captain  designed,  in  consequence  of  the  low^ 
state  of  water  in  the  lakes,  to  take  the  outside  passage. 
As  twilight  deepened  into  the  shadows  of  night,  the  ladies 
appeared  on  the  .after-deck,  and  in  a  few  moments  w^e 
plunged  into  the  blue  waters  of  the  gulf.  I  stood  alone 
by  a  large  brace,  and  indulged  a  train  of  fanciful  classic 
visions.  I  thought  of  the  beautiful  stories  of  ancient  my- 
thology, of  Ovid,  of  Hesiod,  and  of  Homer,  and  wished  al- 
most to  see  the  lady  Amphitrite  in  her  chariot  of  coral  drawn 
by  sea-horses,  and  guarded  by  Nereides ^nd  Tritons,  as 
they  had  loved  to  picture  her,  rising  from  her  submarine 
abode  to  w^elcome  the  fair  daughters  of  earth  to  her  ocean 
domains.  But  all  these  and  kindred  vagaries  were  at 
once  dispelled  by  the  ringing  of  the  supper  bell,  and  I 
went  below  to  forget  the  classics,  in  hope  of  catching 
a  glimpse  of  *^01d  Sol,"  if,  indeed,  he  was  on  board. 

Again,  however,  did  the  unknown  tenant  of  No.  18 
fail  to  make  his  appearance,  though  I  discovered  more 
eyes  than  mine  scanning  both  sides  of  the  table  in  hopes 
to  detect  and  identify  his  quizzical  physiognomy.  How 
did  he  manage  to  fast  so  long !  His  features  bore  no  trace 
of  disease,  for  the  very  slight  glimpse  of  them  which 
had  been  caught  satisfied  us  that  he  was  ruddy  and 
healthful-looking,  and,  therefore,  he  w^as  no  invalid ! 
Probablyit  was  not  "  Old  Sol"  after  all !  But  I  began  to 
suspect,  very  strongly,  that,  if  the  tenant  of  No.  18  was 
indeed  the  eccentric  old  manager,  he  was  meditating 
some  amusing,  but   mischievous  freak  by  which  to  see 


132  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

fun,  in  his  own  way,  with  these  exquisite  and  ingenious 
critics. 

After  tea,  I  took  the  liberty  of  sauntering  into  the  prin- 
cipal saloon,  and  seated  myself  on  one  of  the  magnifi- 
cent sofas  which  line  its  whole  circumference.  The 
whiskered  young  gentleman  and  his  three  subordinates 
had  preceded  me,  for,  when  I  entered,  I  found  all  four  of 
them  seated  at  a  table,  arranging  to  play  some  game  of 
cards  with  the  ladies  of  their  set.  The  hawk-nosed  fel- 
low was  now  describing,  with  ludicrous  gestures,  and  in 
loud,  jovial  tones,  the  adventures  of  the  day,  and,  think- 
ing that  No.  18  was  still  securely  lolling  in  his  berth, 
produced  a  general  laugh  at  the  expense  of  the  whiskered 
hero.  He  w^as  just  in  the  act  of  imitating,  by  a  most 
contorted  expression  of  countenance  and  ridiculous  cari- 
cature, the  confusion  of  his  friend  as  the  face  of  No.  18 
was  suddenly  thrust  forth,  when.  Monsieur  Tonson-like, 
the  door  of  the  state-room  next  adjoining  was  heard  to 
open  softly,  and  a  tall,  quiet-looking  old  gentleman,  with 
the  identical  head  and  face  of  No.  18  affixed  to  his  shoul- 
ders, with  the  same  humorous  and  grotesque  visage,  walk- 
ed suddenly  out,  and,  casting  a  roguish,  inimitable  sort 
of  leer  at  the  astonished  group,  passed  on  through  the 
saloon  back  again  into  the  gentlemen's  cabin.  So  un- 
expected w^as  this  second  apparition,  so  totally  astound- 
ing was  it  to  the  whole  company,  that  the  hawk-nosed 
fellow  still  remained  in  his  affected  position,  as  though 
spell-bound ;  the  hero  of  the  whiskers  gaped  instead  of 
laughing;  the  little  Frenchman  drew  up  his  shoulders 
with  a  WTy  shrug  ;  the  fat  man  snapped  his  jaws  sud- 
denly together  like  the  closing  of  a  rat-trap;  and  the 
ladies,  mischief-loving  wenches  always,  hid  their  pretty 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  133 

faces  in  their  handkerchiefs,  and  indulged  a  silent  but 
uncontrollable  mirth.  In  this  condition  of  confusion  and 
surprise,  I  left  them,  more  deeply  amused  than  I  can  pos- 
sibly describe,  and  walked  towards  the  clerk's  office. 
This  last  stroke  of  seeming  humorous  revenge  was  like 
"Old  Sol"  to  the  very  life,  and  I  began  seriously  to 
believe  that  I  had  at  last  seen  his  embodiment,  and  in 
full  character  at  that.  It  now  appeared  that  No.  18, 
whoever  he  was,  had  a  lady  or  ladies  also  aboard,  and 
that  he  possessed  at  least  a  species  of  ubiquity  which  ren- 
dered it  hazardous  to  talk  of  him  anywhere  on  the  boat. 

I  had  not  reached  my  destination,  however,  when  the 
whole  four  of  them  rushed  past,  and  made  direct  for  the 
same  place,  declaring  audibly  that  they  would  find  out 
either  from  the  clerk  or  from  the  register  whether  the 
tenant  of  No.  18  was  **  Old  Sol"  or  not.  The  window 
was  down,  and  the  office  closed  for  the  night,  and  the 
register  had  also  been  taken  away  and  secured  for  the 
rest  of  the  trip.  This  was  perplexing  enough,  and  one 
of  the  number  proposed  to  seek  out  the  captain,  and  as- 
certain from  him.  But  the  captain,  another  happened 
to  know,  was  strictly  a  business  man,  rather  gruff  when 
on  duty,  and  this  suggestion  was  abandoned.  All  the 
servants,  however,  were  beat  up  and  mustered,  but  all 
declared  their  inability  to  satisfy  any  inquiry  relative  to 
the  identity  of  the  mysterious  personage. 

A  second  proposition  was  made  that  all  should  adjourn 
to  the  bar,  and  take  a  bottle  of  wine  in  remembrance  of 
their  surprises  and  perplexities.  They  very  politely  in- 
sisted that  I  should  accompany  them,  and,  having  no 
apology  at  hand,  I  felt  obliged  to  comply.  Whilst  the 
cork  was  being  drawn,  my  friend  of  the  red  whiskers 
12 


134  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

turned  the  conversation  on  what  had  transpired,  declar- 
ing, with  an  oath,  "that  he  would  ask  the  old  scoundrel 
on  sight  who  the  deuce  he  was,  just  for  curiosity."     The 
glasses  had  just  then  been  filled,  and   all  were  prepar- 
ing to  quafTthe   foaming  and  sparkling  contents,  when 
once  again,  and  more  inopportunely  than  ever,  old  No.  18 
advanced  from  a  dark,  shadowy  recess  near  the   engine 
room,  and,  casting  the  same  characteristic   leer  at  the 
staring  crowd,  walked  out  towards  the  bow  of  the  boat. 
The  gaseous  bubbles  evaporated,  and  the  dazzling  scin- 
tillations died  away — and  not  a  glass  touched  the  lips  of 
him  who  held  it  until  the  last  echo  of  footsteps  was  lost 
in  the  roar  of  the  steampipe  ;  and  even  then  the  beauti- 
ful wine  was  drunk  with  a  very  cold  welcome.     So  far 
from  asking  after  the  information  he  had  just  threatened 
so  fiercely,  my  friend  of  the  red  whiskers  was  the  last 
to  recover  his  surprise  on  the  present  occasion  ;  and  even 
when  the  others  had  again  pumped  up  enough  self-pos- 
session to  indulge  another  laugh  at  these  singular  recur- 
rences, their  leader  joined  in  with  a  very  sardonic  ex- 
pression.    This  last   most  ludicrous  exploit  closed  the 
series  of  adventures  wdth  "  Old  Sol,"  or  his  eidolon,  for 
the  balance  of  the  night ;  and  I  may  here  say  that,  if 
No.  18  was  in  truth  the   same  as  this  distinguished  and 
eccentric  Southern  Manager,  there  never  has  been  a  time 
in  his  whole  successful  comic  career  when  his  fame  as 
a  humorist  had  risen  so  high  in  the  estimation,  at  least, 
of  the  whiskered  gentleman  and  his  associates,  whoever 
they  were,  which  I  am  not  able  to  tell. 

We  w^ere  now  fairly  launched  into  the  swelling  bosom 
of  the  Mexican  Gulf,  and  the  slight  rolling  of  the  steam- 
er, now  and  then,  had  already  produced  its  nauseating 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES,  135 

effects  on  some  of  the  passengers.  I  was  again  seated 
alone  near  my  old  roost  by  the  brace  on  deck,  en- 
deavoring to  force  my  vision  through  the  dim  obscurity 
of  the  ocean  waste,  and  watching  the  myriads  of  the 
celestial  host  as  they  burst  upon  the  sight  one  after  an- 
other, like  the  gliding  figures  of  a  vast  camera,  only  far 
more  dazzling.  The  moon  was  not  yet  risen,  and  I  was 
waiting  anxiously  to  catch  the  first  glimpse  of  its  rosy 
lustre  when  emerging  from  beyond  the  watery  horizon. 
A  long,  golden-hued  streak,  flashing  forth  numerous 
sparkling  beams,  heralded  the  majestic  approach,  then 
widening  gradually  into  a  broad  and  blazing  sheet,  and 
shading  its  first  yellow  tinges  by  a  deep  glow  of  crimson 
glory,  the  lustrous  crescent  peeped  above  the  illumined 
waters,  and  in  a  moment  afterwards  the  whole  sea  glis- 
tened with  its  full-orbed  silver  light.  How  dull  and  life- 
less do  the  puny  efforts  of  men,  with  all  their  boasted 
art  and  skill,  appear  before  a  picture  thus  gorgeously 
sketched  by  nature's  hand  ! 

In  a  few  hours  more,  we  were  safely  inside  of  Cat 
Island,  and  speeding  forward  to  the  Rigolets  ;  and  (owing 
to  a  slight  accident  off  one  of  the  islands)  did  not  come 
in  sight  of  Fort  Pike  until  broad  day,  which  is  generally 
passed  before  midnight.  Without  approaching  at  all  to 
the  grand  or  magnificent,  this  is  decidedly  one  of  the 
prettiest  places  in  the  United  States.  Its  lovely  lawns 
of  blue  grass,  and  its  neat,  smiling  yellow  cottages  rise 
like  an  oasis  to  the  eye,  and  relieve  most  agreeably  the 
waste  of  dreary  waters  and  glowing  fens  around.  We 
passed  its  frowning  cannon  just  as  the  sun  rose,  and 
heard  the  morning  gun,  and  beheld  the  "  star-spangled 
banner"  as  it  was  run  up  to  meet  the  earliest  rays. 


136  '  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

Just  as  the  bell  rang  for  breakfast,  the  bow  of  our  ele- 
gant vessel  skimmed  the  margin  of  Pontchartrain,  and  I 
turned  away  from  the  lovely  prospect  lingeringly  and 
reluctantly.  When  I  gained  the  cabin,  I  found  the 
gentleman  of  the  red  whiskers  and  his  satellites  busily 
engaged  in  despatching  their  morning  meal.  Again  did 
I  scan  the  row  of  eager  eaters  for  the  now  familiar  visage 
of  No.  18.  He  w^as  not  to  be  found,  and  I  took  my  seat 
among  the  rest,  fearing  we  had  seen  the  last  of  this  un- 
known personage.  The  clerk,  engaged  with  his  books, 
did  not  take  his  accustomed  seat  at  the  table,  and  the 
register  was  still  in  his  possession.  The  four  unfortu- 
nate gentleman  looked  really  disappointed  as  these  last 
chances  of  finding  out  the  identity  of  No.  18  with  *'01d 
Sol"  melted  away;  and  when,  just  after  breakfast,  they 
had  congregated  in  front  of  the  wash-room  to  smoke  their 
cigars,  and  were  venting  their  disappointment  aloud,  I 
reached  the  door  just  in  time  to  see  the  sly,  quizzical  old 
rogue  stalk  out  from  his  ablutions  and  pass  through  their 
midst  with  a  smile  which  told  plainly  enough  how  much 
he  was  enjoying  their  fourth  surprise  and  confusion.  A 
serious  consultation  was  now  held.  The  fat  man  sug- 
gested that,  if  No.  18  really  was  **  Old  Sol,"  and,  in  that 
event,  if  ''  Old  Sol"  had  not  lost  much  of  his  love  for 
comic  mischief,  he  would  take  occasion,  one  day,  just  so 
sure  as  he  lived,  to  caricature  the  whole  scene  in  a  man- 
ner which  would  just  as  surely  bring  them  (who,  he 
admitted,  had  been  rather  too  rude  and  imprudent)  into 
the  most  annoying  species  of  ridicule.  He  moreover 
added,  with  a  very  ugly  oath,  by  way  of  enforcing  his 
opinion,  that  ''  Old  Sol"  had  a  more  inventive  genius  in 
that  line  than  even  "Old  Nick"  himself,  and  that,  unless 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  137 

some  apology  could  be  offered,  he  verily  feared  the  morn- 
ing papers  might  blazon  the  whole  affair  to   all    New 
Orleans  to-morrow.     The   whiskered   gentleman    paled 
visibly,  and  looked  awfully  blank  as  this  suggestion  fell 
on  his  ear,  for  he  was,  after  all,  a  sensitive  body ;  the 
hawk-nosed   fellow  bleared  his  eyes,  and    made  a  dry 
attempt  to  whistle  down  his  apprehensions  ;   the  little 
Frenchman    shrugged   more   feelingly  and   emphatical- 
ly than  ever  ;   whilst  the  fat  man    himself  twisted  his 
mouth  half  way  on   the  road  towards  his  left  ear,  and 
rubbed  his  capacious  paunch  with  evident  uneasiness. 
Notwithstanding  the  diversion  which  this  sage  and  ludi- 
crous  consultation  inwardly   afforded   me,  I   could   not 
help  now    sympathizing    with    them,  after  having  thus 
found  that  they  really  were  men  of  sensibility,  though 
certainly  somewhat  on  the  cockney  order.    I  knew  quite 
too  much  of  **Old  Sol"  not  to  believe  readily  w^hat  the 
fat  man  had  said,  and  more  besides,  unless  he  too  should 
have  discovered  (as,  considering  his  keen  perception,  it 
was  likely  he  had)  that  they  were  more  frisky  and  im- 
prudent than  really  rude.     The  manager  is  everywhere 
reputed  to  be  eminently  amiable  and  forbearing,  and  (if 
this  was  himself),  in  the  event  named,  I  concluded  he 
might  be  fully  satisfied  with  his  humorous  revenge.     It 
was  agreed,  however,  by  the  confederates,  that  the  hawk- 
nosed  fellow,  the  .little  Frenchman,  and   the  fat   man 
should  attend  to  the  ladies  and  baggage  after  the  boat 
landed,  whilst  the  whiskered  gentleman  should  guard  the 
gangway  in  every  direction,  that  he  might  not  miss  in- 
troducing himself  to  No.  18,  and,  in  case  it  was  "Old 
Sol,"  to  offer  humble  apologies  for  what  had  happened. 
The  reader  is  not,  by  any  means,  to  suppose  that,  during 

12* 


138  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

these  whole  laughable  adventures  of  my  four  friends,  I 
had  not  been  somewhat  curious  myself  to  make  the  same 
discovery  as  to  the  identity  of  No.  18  with  the  celebrated 
comedian  and  manager,  though  from  a  very  different 
motive  from  that  which  had  inspired  these  luckless  gen- 
tlemen to  hazard  a  personal  inquiry  for  satisfaction.  I 
resolved,  therefore,  to  throw  myself  in  the  way  w^hen 
this  rencontre  took  place  between  the  tenant  of  No.  18 
and  my  friend  of  the  red  whiskers  and  bushy  beard. 

About  three  hours  before  noon,  the  boat  drew  up  by  the 
w^harf  at  the  lake  end  of  the  Pontchartrain  railroad,  and 
all  was  bustle  and  excitement  to  get  ashore  and  secure 
a  ticket  before  the  cars  came  down  from  the  city.  Turn- 
ing the  care  of  my  baggage  entirely  over  to  the  trusty 
servant  who  accompanied  me,  I  took  possession  of  a  sofa 
near  the  saloon  where  I  knew  all  must  pass  in  leaving 
the  boat.  The  gentleman  with  the  red  whiskers  w^as 
promenading  rapidly  in  the  same  neighborhood,  awaiting 
the  appearance  of  the  mysterious  personage.  Most  of 
the  ladies  had  passed  out  long  since,  and  the  gentlemen 
were  fast  thinning  on  board.  I  began  to  fear  that  No.  18 
had  given  us  the  slip,  or  else  did  not  intend  going  ashore. 
Probably  he  was,  after  all,  an  officer  or  stockholder  con- 
nected with  the  boat !  Or  he  might  be  a  gentleman  of 
mere  leisure,  steaming  it  alternately  between  the  two 
cities !  My  friend  of  the  whiskers  increased  the  gait  of 
his  promenade,  and  was  evidently  growing  very  impa- 
tient. I  had  almost  concluded  to  take  my  leave,  and  had 
actually  closed  the  book  I  pretended  to  be  reading,  when, 
presto  !  the  door  of  the  ladies'  saloon  was  opened,  and 
forth  came  the  truant  of  No.  18,  w^ith  a  long  black  sur- 
tout  drawn  over  his  small-clothes,  with  his  features  more 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES,  139 

quizzically  drawn  than  ever,  and,  mirabile  dictu !  a 
beautiful,  fair-haired,  graceful  young  lady  leaning  most 
charmingly  on  his  left  arm!  A  roguish  smile  dimpled 
her  mouth  and  rosy  cheeks;  and  when,  hat  off,  right  foot 
advanced  a  pace — cane  most  exquisitely  thrown  up  under 
the  left  arm-pit,  whilst  the  head  rested  in  his  hand — and 
with  an  affected  smirk  and  low  bow,  the  red-whiskered 
dandy  approached  to  salute  the  old  gentleman,  I  could 
perceive  that  she  was  almost  convulsed  with  laughter, 
which  she  was  struggling  to  repress. 

Her  appearance  was  wholly  a  surprise,  and  had  been 
a  fatal  damper  to  my  friend,  who  had  prepared  the  whole 
of  his  plan  of  action  before  encountering  the  resistless 
glances  of  her  heart-piercing,  sparkling  blue  eye,  now 
preternaturally  refulgent  with  smothered  mirth.  He  was 
taken  all  aback,  and  thrown  hors  de  combat  most  sadly 
and  irretrievably.  His  tongue  refused  to  do  its  office, 
and  he  stood  as  if  suddenly  enchanted,  in  the  most  ludi- 
crous attitude  imaginable,  while  the  elderly  gentleman, 
who  relaxed  not  a  single  muscle  of  his  comical  physiog- 
nomy, passed  quietly  on  with  a  half  bow  to  the  bew^il- 
dered  dandy,  and  (as  I  thought)  a  very  quizzical  wink 
of  the  eye  at  me. 

I  know  not  whether  it  be  so,  but  I  shall  believe,  to  my 
dying  day,  that  this  unknown  personage  had  either  over- 
heard, or  been  fully  warned  by  some  mischievous  eaves- 
dropper, of  the  consultation  and  agreement  in  front  of 
the  wash-room.  The  laughing  damsel,  his  own  inimitable 
and  farcical  manner,  and  the  long  delay  after  most  others 
of  the  passengers  had  left  the  boat,  all  go  to  prove  this 
much.  At  any  rate,  if  the  tenant  of  No.  18  w^as  in  very 
truth  the  eccentric  Southern  Manager,  he  has  never,  even 


140  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

in  the  "  Lying  Varlet"  or  "  Dominie  Sampson,"  made 
happier  strokes  at  humor.  But  I  went  ashore,  perfectly 
ignorant  as  to  the  question  of  identity  betwixt  the  two 
personages.  The  captain  and  clerk  were  both  out  of 
reach,  in  the  hurry  and  bustle  of  discharging  the  boat's 
freight,  and  all  information  was  blocked,  therefore,  from 
this  quarter.  I  did  not  see  the  old  man  or  his  fair  com- 
panion afterwards,  although  I  w^atched  to  see  them  at  the 
St.  Charles. 

I  may  as  well  say,  too,  that  I  never  saw  the  whiskered 
gentleman,  or  any  of  his  associates,  after  I  parted  from 
them  at  the  depot  in  the  city.  Whether  I  shall  ever  be 
able  to  solve  the  riddle  of  identity  at  all  is  now  extreme- 
ly questionable.  Several  of  the  manager's  friends,  to  whom 
I  have  mentioned  these  incidents,  have  seriously  doubt- 
ed whether  he  could  have  been  the  singular  tenant  of  No, 
18;  but  they  allow  at  the  same  time  that  it  was  some  one 
who  both  represented  and  imitated  him  remarkably  well. 
Others  again  have  thought  differently,  and  declare  the 
whole  affair  to  have  been  too  much  like  '*  Old  Sol"  for 
the  tenant  of  No.  18  to  have  been  any  body  but  his  very 
self  in  propria  per s once, 

I  leave  the  courteous  and  kind  reader,  therefore,  in 
the  same  ignorance  and  to  the  same  conjectures  which 
have  sharpened  my  own  curiosity,  and  employed  my 
guessing  faculties.  If,  in  some  future  volume  of  the 
"Anecdotical  Recollections,"  the  humorous  author  shall 
not  give  to  his  readers  a  more  racy  and  amusing  account 
of  a  like  adventure,  I  shall  conclude,  of  course,  that  the 
eccentric  occupant  of  No.  18  w^as  another  person  than 
^* Old  Sol." 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  141 


CHAPTER    X. 

A  CAMPAIGN  BARBECUE  IN  THE  SOUTHWEST. 

It  was  my  lot,  during  the  last  Presidential  campaign, 
to  attend  a  barbecue  furnished  jointly  by  the  two  politi- 
cal parties,  and  at  which  it  was  understood  that  both 
whig  and  democrat  were  to  speak  alternately.  Being  a 
specially  invited  guest,  as  soon  as  I  arrived  on  the  ground 
the  joint  committee  came  promptly  and  politely  forw^ard, 
and  asked  me  to  the  rostrum  or  scaffold  which  had 
been  erected  for  the  accommodation  of  the  speakers,  and 
of  the  favored  few  who,  like  myself,  were  sufficiently 
well  off  in  the  way  of  active  friends  to  be  furnished  with 
a  comfortable  seat. 

The  speakers  had  been  selected  for  a  week  before- 
hand, and  as  it  was  to  be  a  regular  fisticuff  fight,  or 
genuine  party  conflict,  these  had  been  chosen  with  spe- 
cial reference  to  their  efficiency  in  the  stumping  line, 
and  none  who  were  not  fairly  posted  up  with  facts  and 
foibles  bearing  on  the  character  of  either  candidate  were 
allowed  to  consume  the  precious  time  set  apart  to  make 
converts  to  the  one  side  or  the  other.  Calm,  dispassion- 
ate argument,  sound  reason,  and  a  candid  exposition  of 
the  principles  which  separated  the  tw^o  parties,  w^ere,  it 
was  distinctly  understood,  to  be  totally  expurgated  and 
eschewed.  The  discussion  was  not  to  be  hampered 
with  such  useless  supererogation ;  the  people  would  not 


142  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

listen ;  the  occasion  would  be  lost  alike  to  both  Cass  and 
Taylor.  In  fact,  I  discovered  that  all,  of  each  party, 
who,  from  previous  discussions,  had  been  found  able  to 
scold  the  loudest,  quarrel  the  fiercest,  abuse  the  sound- 
est, and  w^ho  possessed  the  art  of  speaking  the  longest 
without  coming  to  the  point  at  issue,  were  the  favored 
champions  of  this  debate.  Thus,  whigs  who  never  in 
their  lives  had  heard  of  Lewis  Cass  had  come  there  per- 
fectly rampant  to  have  him  dissected  and  picked  to  tat- 
ters ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  democrats  w^ho,  a  month  or 
so  before,  would  have  ^*  pitched  into"  their  nearest  friend, 
or  neighbor,  who  would  have  rashly  ventured  to  say  the 
least  harsh  thing  against  Gen.  Taylor,  came,  like  butch- 
ers to  the  slaughter  pen,  whetted  keenly  to  hear  him 
triumphantly  degraded,  and  hurled  from  his  high  and 
proud  position.  Sad  comments  on  the  permanence  of 
republican  governments! 

The  meeting  was  respectably  attended  by  both  sexes. 
Of  the  number  present,  it  was  soon  ascertained  that  there 
were  109  democrats,  87  whigs,  3  neutral,  and  one  raw 
Irishman,  a  well-digger  by  trade,  who  swore  lustily, 
when  questioned,  "that  he  had  nivir  heard  of  any  Prisidint 
but  Andhrew  McJackson,  and  he  meant  to  vote  for  him, 
dead  or  alive,  as  sure  as  swate  Jasus  was  crucified." 

"  Well,  but  Jerry,"  said  a  w^arm  old  democrat  pre- 
sent, "the  General  has  served  his  time  long  ago,  and 
has  been  dead  and  buried  these  three  years." 

"  Divil  may  care,"  replied  the  honest  and  simple- 
minded  old  Hibernian,  who  often  boasted  that  he  had 
been  6a^en  under  Packenham,  and  taken  prisoner  at  New 
Orleans  by  Jackson,  "  and  suppose,  Misther,  he  takes  it 
into  his  hot-head  to  come  back  agin,  who  '11  hinder  him. 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  143 

think  you  ?  Why,  man,  I  saw  a  cannon  ball  splet  to 
flenders  aginst  his  forehead  at  New  Orleans,  and  him 
nivir  so  much  as  staggered." 

This  satisfied  the  democratic  portion  of  his  audience, 
.and  was  justly  considered  a  knock-down  argument  by 
the  whigs  ;  and,  therefore,  both  sides  determined  to  make 
all  the  effort  at  the  three  neutrals  on  the  ground,  one  of 
whom  was  an  old  widow  lady  whose  son  would  just  be 
of  age  in  time  to  vote  in  November.  The  next  was  a 
quiet  and  wealthy  old  planter,  famed  for  his  devotion  to 
cotton  fields,  and  his  ignorance  of  politics,  and  who  had 
unfortunately  lost  part  of  his  palate,  which  caused  him 
to  speak  a  nasal  dialect  of  his  own,  very  unintelligible, 
and  very  diflficult  to  get  out.  The  third  was  his  overseer, 
a  fat,  merry-faced,  rubicund  fellow,  who  was  supposed 
to  have  his  opinion  sneakingly  made  up,  but  chose,  from 
prudential  motives,  to  remain  ostensibly  on  the  fence 
with  his  testy  old  employer,  who  gave  him  the  best  sort 
of  wages,  besides  supporting  his  family.  To  make  a 
dash  at  these  three,  then,  was  the  object  of  all  the 
gathering,  all  the  victuals,  and  all  the  speaking ;  for,  in 
general,  at  such  places,  people  w^ho  have  not  made  up 
their  minds  rarely  attend,  both  from  disapproving  of  such 
evidences  of  party  ferocity,  and  from  the  desire  to  avoid 
the  officious  zeal  and  attentions  of  the  noisy  brawlers  who 
there  congregate  to  scatter  documents  and  diffuse  their 
own  gleanings.  And,  indeed,  whole  flocks  of  dense,  busy, 
and  patriotic  partisans  were  now  seen  strutting  and  per- 
ambulating through  the  crowd,  their  pockets  stuffed  to 
bursting,  and  their  hats  barely  surmounting  the  crown 
of  their  heads,  from  an  overflow  of  newspapers  and 
pamphlets  within.     No  rebuff  could   silence   them,   no 


144  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

hint  could  be  made  intelligible  to  them;  whilst,  like  a 
parcel  of  bull-terriers  when  rat-hunting,  they  kept  a  con- 
stant eye  on  the  motions  of  each  other,  fearing  that  some 
adverse  document  might  be  slipped  slyly  into  some 
plain  old  voter's  hands  without  its  corresponding  anti-. 
dote. 

"  I  see  you  are  disengaged,  my  friend  !"  said  a  zealous 
whig,  going  up  to  a  tall,  bulky,  homespun-dressed  farmer 
who  sat  alone  under  a  huge  oak  tree;  *'  here  is  the  last 
'Louisville  Journal;'  you  will  find  it  i^ery  interesting." 

''The  'Louisville  Journal,'  is  it?"  asked  a  hot  demo- 
crat, sneeringly,  w^ho  had  followed  him  up.  "  I  wonder 
you  can  offer  the  old  man  such  a  dirty,  contemptible 
sheet.  Here,  sir,  is  the  '  Washington  Union,'  the  organ 
of  the  government,  and  the  best  and  truest  text  of  genu- 
ine democracy." 

"  Very  true,"  answers  the  whig,  contemptuously.  "  A 
lying,  slanderous,  foul  paper,  edited  by  a  driveling 
fanatic.  Now%  sir,  if  you  want  a  decent,  dignified  paper, 
allow  me  to  hand  you  the  'National  Intelligencer,'  which 
never  stoops  to  personal  abuse." 

"  Yes,  and  let  him  see  how  a  wool-dyed  whig,  who 
belongs  to  the  Mexicans,  can  talk  about  American 
statesmen  and  presidents — a  vile  print,  that  is  always 
against  the  government,"  replied  the  exasperated  demo- 
crat, with  furious  gestures. 

"  Mexican,  hey  ?"  said  the  whig,  elevating  his  eye- 
brows.    "  I  wonder  what  Santa  Anna  would  say  to  that !" 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?"  asked  the  democrat,  bristling 
like  a  wild  boar. 

"  Oh,  just  ask  James  K.  Polk,  and  he'll  tell  you  all 
about  it  from  beginning  to  end,"  said  the  other,  winking 
at  the  farmer. 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  145 

"  See  here,  gentlemen,"  exclaimed  the  sturdy  coun- 
tryman, rising,  and  regarding  the  contestants  with  a 
glance  that  showed  plainly  he  meant  what  he  was  saying, 
"  I  don't  care,  and  didn't  come  here  to  be  bothered  with 
any  such  chat,  and  I  ain't  agoing  to  be,  mind.  I  am  able 
to  pay  for  my  own  papers,  and  know  how  to  read  them 
without  your  aid.  So  clear  out,  if  you  please  ;  I'm  in  no 
humor  to  be  plagued  by  you." 

"  But,  my  good  friend — "  started  the  whig,  poking 
his  bundle  at  him. 

"  My  dear  sir,"  began  the  other,  alertly  slipping  a 
parcel  in  the  flap  pocket  of  the  old  man's  coat. 

"  See  here,  you  pestersome  rascals,"  said  the  coun- 
tryman, extending  his  brawny  arms,  and  shoving  them 
from  each  side  roughly,  with  their  papers  after  them, 
"if  you  don't  get  off  from  me,  I'll  drub  both  of  you  into 
a  cocked  hat." 

A  number  of  lookers-on  around  burst  into  a  hearty 
laugh  at  this  ludicrous  discomfiture  of  the  two  zealous 
partisans ;  and,  as  the  countryman  still  stood  in  a 
menacing  attitude,  with  his  huge  .fist  most  ominously 
clenched,  each  of  the  newspaper  knights  gathered  up 
his  rejected  documents  w^ith  a  hasty,  apprehensive  sort 
of  motion,  bending  away  over,  with  one  leg  stretched 
cautiously  out  to  guard  against  a  sudden  onset,  and  then 
stole  sheepishly  off  to  another  part  of  the  ground. 

At  this  moment,  the  marshal  ascended  a  high  stump 
in  the  centre  of  the  grove,  shouting  out,  with  stento- 
rian voice,  "  Oh  yes !  oh  yes !  this  way,  gintlemen,  if 
you  please!  Gintlemen,"  he  continued,  swelling  with 
importance  as  the  gaping  crowd  of  rustics  gathered 
around  him,  "gintlemen,  you  will  take  notice  that  din- 
13 


146  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

ner  will  be  served  just  at  one  o'clock,  at  which  time  due 
notice  will  be  given  by  me.  The  first  thing  in  order  is 
the  speeches.  One  side  will  speak  first,  and  the  other 
side  next." 

"  I  say,  uncle  Ben  !"  shouted  a  greedy,  hungry- looking 
fellow,  tiptoeing  over  the  crowd,  and  addressing  the  mar- 
shal, "  how^  many  sides  speaks  before  dinner?" 

*VLook  here,  Sam  Huckleby,  you  must  hold  in,  or 
leave  this  here  crowd,"  replied  the  marshal  to  his  inter- 
rupter, and  then  again,  turning  to  the  bystanders,  he  con- 
tinued: **You  see,  gintlemen,  each  speaker  will  occupy 
a  hour  and  a  half,  subject  to  be  called  down  to  the  very 
second.  Arter  two  has  talked,  then  comes  dinner,  and 
the  ladies  is  to  go  up  first,  and  then  the  men.  Those 
that  don't  git  places  at  the  first  table  needn't  be  afeard. 
We've  axed  you  here,  my  friends,  and  we've  got  a  plenty 
to  feed  you  all  leargely.  So,  now^,  gintlemen,  to  the 
stand — when  dinner's  over,  we'll  have  two  more  speeches 
to  cool  down  on.     Let  all  go  and  listen." 

In  obedience  to  this  programme,  the  crowd  of  eager 
listeners  assembled  noisily  around  the  rostrum,  alike  in- 
flamed with  expectation  of  a  treat  in  the  conflict  now^ 
about  to  come  off,  and  of  a  more  acceptable  treat  in  the 
smoking  dinner  to  succeed.  The  old  widowed  dame, 
mother  of  the  rising  voter,  was  conspicuously  and  com- 
fortably seated  in  a  chair  immediately  under  the  stand, 
with  her  back  to  the  speakers  ;  while  the  sore-eyed  old 
planter  and  his  jolly-looking  overseer  w^ere  paraded  to  a 
rude  sort  of  bench  just  in  front.  As  for  the  sturdy  fol- 
lower of  Andhrew  McJackson,  an  old-fashioned  Irish  junk 
(which  the  sly  old  rogue  carried  in  his  pocket)  had  done 
its  w^ork  by  this  time,  and  that  honest  gentleman  had 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  147 

been  ingeniously  cajoled  from  the  ground  by  one  or  two 
of  the  old  Hickory  stand-bys,  who  admired  too  much  his 
genuine  loyalty  to  have  him  more,  roughly  treated. 

"Gintlemen,"  again  said  the  marshal,  rising,  **  I  have 
the  honor  of  introducing  to  you  my  honorable  friend 
Capt.  Cockroach,  who  will  tell  you  something  about  Cass 
and  Butler." 

According  to  preconcerted  arrangement  among  the 
democrats  present,  Capt.  Cockroach  was  cheered  and 
huzzaed  as  he  rose,  bowing  and  bobbing  to  the  crowd. 
He  then  began  his  harangue  with  a  spirited  return  of 
thanks  and  a  few  congratulatory  remarks  at  the  bright- 
ening prospects  of  the  Baltimore  nominees.  All  this 
time,  however,  he  had  been  arranging  his  plan  of  battle, 
and  preparing  his  batteries,  which  were  drawn  in  the 
shape  of  immense  piles  of  documents  from  a  pair  of  wal- 
lets that  were  conveniently  hung  over  the  bar  of  the  stand. 
I  soon  found  that  it  was  no  part  of  Capt.  Cockroach's 
tactics  to  stand  a  siege,  or  proceed  on  the  defensive,  and 
that  the  worthy  uncle  Ben  had  egregiously  missed  the 
mark  when  he  said  that  the  speaker  would  talk  about 
Cass  and  Butler.  He  scarcely  called  their  names  once, 
but  opened  a  distant  dropping  fire  right  away  at  the 
gallant  old  whig  candidate.  This  bombardment  lasted 
for  something  over  half.anhour,  and  then  the  captain  un- 
masked a  light  grape-shot  battery,  and  rattled  away  with 
such  an  incessant  shower,  that  I  almost  thought  Bragg 
had  turned  Mexican,  and  was  pouring  in  a  counter  fire 
of  "grape"  at  his  old  commander.  It  was  evident, 
however,  from  the  looks  of  the  crowd,  that  old  Zack  had 
not  been  wounded  yet,  although  some  of  the  democrats 
were  clapping  and  stamping  merrily  enough.  The  speaker 


148  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

cast  a  furtive  look  to  see  if  his  assault  had  made  any  im- 
pression on  the  anxious  class.  The  old  lady's  head  was 
down,  and  she  was  calmly  rocking  to  and  fro  in  her 
chair ;  the  old  planter  looked  a  little  out  of  sorts;  but  the 
overseer  was  grinning  away,  as  much  amused  at  the 
action  of  the  crowd  as  at  the  ridicule  of  the  speaker, 
looking  first  from  one  to  the  other.  The  affair  was  yet  in 
its  crisis,  and  the  captain  concluded  to  let  loose  his  line 
of  heavy  pieces.  It  opened  with  a  deafening  roar,  and 
the  whigs  all  began  to  look  a  little  blue.  "Old  Zack  was 
a  man  without  principles  ;  didn't  know  what  a  tariff  was 
from  the  full  moon;  only  knew  the  bank  by  the  money 
his  whig  friends  had  drawn  from  it  ;  was  afraid  to  en- 
dorse either  ;  he  was,  in  fact,  a  crawfish,  that  took  two 
steps  back  to  one  forward " 

"Helloh,  there,"  shouted  a  young,  verdant  whig, 
"  did  the  old  fellow  crawfish  at  Bony  Vistar?" 

This  side  volley  took  the  captain  a  la  ambuscade.  He 
was  momentarily  forced  to  slacken  fire,  and  fall  back  ; 
and  the  whigs  made  the  welkin  ring,  and  the  democrats 
began  to  cry  "  put  him  out — no  interruption !" 

*'Yes,  gintlemen,"  said  uncle  Ben,  ''interruptions  is 
agin  the  rules — you  may  clap,  and  stomp,  and  holler  a 
little,  but  you  mustn't  talk  to  the  speakers." 

The  Captain,  however,  had  been  awfully  floundered, 
and  did  not  recover  so  easily  as  his  friends  hoped.  He 
now  found  that  it  was  necessary  to  leave  the  centre  of 
attack,  and  divert  his  enemies  by  a  flank  manoeuvre. 
With  this  view  he  pushed  forward  his  reserve  battery, 
and  opened  a  furious  and  merciless  cannonade  against 
the  person  and  character  of  the  whig  candidate  for  Vice- 
President. 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  149 

In  the  midst  of  these  Demosthenian  invectives,  so  un- 
sparingly launched,  the  passing  breeze  ever  and  anon 
would  fill  the  gorgeous  whig  banner,  which,  floating 
above,  bore,  reversely  to  old  Zack's,  the  picture  of  Mr. 
Fillmore  ;  and  as  his  handsome,  open,  and  manly  fea- 
tures would  be  exposed,  I  fancied  I  saw  in  their  benign 
and  frank  expression  a  more  than  powerful  rebutter  to 
the  whirlwind  of  abuse  which  was  beating  against  him. 
Calmly  and  smilingly  that  fine  face  beamed  alike  before 
friends  and  opponents,  inspiring  the  last  with  reluctant 
respect,  and  filling  the  first  with  irrepressible  admira- 
tion ;  and  once,  in  the  very  midst  of  a  violent  philippic, 
as  the  stern,  Jove-like  features  of  old  Rough  and  Ready 
were  wafted  half  around,  so  that  his  face  rested  side  by 
side  with  that  of  Fillmore  (as  if  to  cover  him  with  pa- 
rental solicitude  from  the  attack  thus  leveled  against  the 
stranger  in  his  own  sunny  South),  the  distant  hills  again 
rang  with  a  shout  sent  forth  from  the  bosoms  of  those 
who  welcomed  the  agreeable  omen. 

Still  the  words  and  charges  of  the  infuriated  orator 
seemed  to  tell  with  his  hearers  on  the  anxious  bench  : 
the  suspicious  old  planter  grew  uneasy  and  restless  at 
the  array  of  testimony  brought  up  to  prove  the  Vice-Pre- 
sident as  an  abolitionist. 

"  Whad  is  the  dabe  of  thad  bad  he's  dalking  aboud, 
cad  you  tell,  bister?"  said  he,  in  smothered  accents 
through  his  nose,  appealing  to  a  man  at  his  side. 

*'The  man  he's  talking  about!"  said  the  other,  who 
happened  to  be  a  whig.  "You  may  well  ask  that  ques- 
tion, for  his  own  mother  wouldn't  know  him  as  Cockroach 
describes    him — why,  he's  talking   about   Millard   Fill- 


more." 


13* 


150  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

''  Billar  Fillbore,  hey  !"  repeated  the  old  man — "  well, 
I'll  dry  and  recollecd  Bister  Billar  Fillbore." 

"  I  hope  you  will,"  said  a  democrat,  who  happened  to 
overhear  the  conversation.  **He's  a  ranker  abolitionist 
than  old  Arthur  Tappan  himself!  Sir,  I  raally  and  truly 
believes  his  heart's  as  black  as  the  ace  of  clubs.  Mil- 
lard Fillmore  for  Vice-President,  indeed!" 

"  Not  quite  so  black,  though,  as  his  heart  who  '  pray- 
ed for  the  speedy  abolition  of  slavery  everywhere,'  " 
answered  the  whig  with  a  knowing  wink  at  the  old  man. 

*'And  who  bade  thad  prayer,  bister?"  asked  the  old 
man,  with  an  inquisitive  expression. 

"  Lewis  Cass,"  answered  the  whig,  quickly. 

"  Yes,  but  you  don't  tell  the  whole  story,"  put  in  the 
democrat. 

'*  Thad  is  quide  enough  for  be" — replied  the  old  man. 
*^  Bister  Lewiz  Cazz,  hey !  Well,  I'll  dry  and  not  forged 
Bister  Lewiz  Cazz  either  !  Jimmey,"  he  continued, 
turning  to  his  overseer,  and  punching  him  in  the  side, 
"  dond  led  's  forged  to  vode  agaidst  Bister  Billar  Fill- 
bore, and  Bister  Lewiz  Cazz  both." 

"No,  I  won't  forget  it,  Mr.  Hardcase,"  replied  his  ob- 
sequious friend. 

Whilst  this  sage  controversy  was  going  on,  the  allotted 
hour  and  a  half  of  Capt.  Cockroach  expired,  and  he  sat 
down  amidst  prolonged  and  vociferous  cheers. 

"Gintlemen,"  said  uncle  Ben,  the  marshal,  again  ris- 
ing before  the  audience,  "gintlemen,  Capt.  Cockroach 
having  got  through,  let  me  introduce  my  honorable  friend 
Maj.  Gunsmasher,  who  will  talk  to  you  about  the  other 
side  of  the  question." 

The  democrats,  who  all  along  had  occupied  the  front 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  151 

seats  about  the  stand,  now  fell  back  to  make  way  for 
the  whigs,  who  came  rushing  up  en  masse,  shouting  for 
Maj.  Gunsmasher,  and  cheering  Taylor  and  Fillmore. 
At  the  same  time,  a  double-jointed,  brawny  negro,  piloted 
by  an  assistant  whig  marshal,  tottered  up  to  the  back  of 
the  stand,  and  with  a  hearty  effort  set  down  a  huge 
leathern  trunk  which  contained  the  major's  ammunition. 
From  this  the  whig  champion  began  to  draw  forth  docu- 
ment after  document,  and  book  after  book,  piling  them 
all  regularly  up  before  him,  until  at  last  he  succeeded 
in  constructing  a  barricade  which  looked  for  all  the  world 
like  a  picture  of  one  of  the  forts  at  Monterey,  and  be- 
hind which  the  valiant  major  could  just  be  fairly  seen  as 
he  armed  and  prepared  for  the  conflict. 

"  Them's  the  licks" — said  a  whig  to  those  around 
him.  ''I  tell  you,  boys,  I  knows  Gunsmasher,  and  he 
ain't  a  going  to  leave  an  inch  of  hide  on  Cockroach." 

"  By  Jing,  I  hope  he'll  peel  him  as  raw  as  a  skinned 
ingon,  for  he's  gin  old  Zack  no  quarter,"  said  another. 

'*  Yes,  he  desarves  to  have  his  tallow  melted  out'n 
him,"  put  in  a  third. 

"  Don't  get  sore  yet  awhile,  fellers,"  said  a  democrat, 
who  was  standing  near.  "  We've  got  something  hotter 
behind  yet." 

"  Yes,  and  if  you  stays  here  until  Gunsmasher's  done, 
you'll  go  home  scabbier  than  ever  you  did  before,'^  re- 
plied the  first  spokesman. 

"  Yes,  you'll  want  mullen  and  slippery  elm  fur  a  month 
to  come,"  said  the  second. 

''  Hurrah  for  Cass  and  Billy  Butler,"  shouted  the  con- 
fident and  defying  democrat,  walking  away. 

The  major  had  now  commenced  his  escalading  and 


162  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

sharp-shooting.  Capt.  Cockroach  had  relied  solely  on 
broadsides;  the  major  seemed  rather  to  prefer  small  arms, 
which,  if  less  destructive,  were  far  more  annoying.  But 
in  one  respect  their  tactics  were  similar;  they  both  be- 
lieved, like  Scipio,  that  the  best  way  to  drive  Hannibal 
out  of  Italy  was  to  carry  the  war  into  Africa. 

Accordingly, the  major  had  not  more  than  discharged 
his  first  round,  before  he  pitched  full  tilt  against  Gen. 
Cass,  and  poured  out  a  continuous,  rolling  fire  of  pepper 
corns  and  mustard  seed,  recollecting  that  Napoleon  by 
the  same  ingenious  plan  had  swept  the  Mamaluke  cavalry 
from  the  face  of  the  desert.  Before  the  first  half  hour 
had  well  passed,  the  honest-hearted  and  illustrious  sena- 
tor was  perforated  through  every  pore,  and  literally  blown 
to  atoms  by  piecemeal.  Figures,  which,  the  major 
sagely  remarked,  never  were  known  to  lie,  w^ere  arrayed, 
and  sentences  quoted,  and  facts  brought  to  bear  which 
stripped  him  of  all  claim  to  honesty,  and  I  doubt  not 
that  many  left  the  ground  fully  believing  that  the  veteran 
Cass^^iis  a  highway  robber;  just  as,  in  the  other  case, 
many  democrats  had  drunk  in  the  round  assertion  of 
Capt.  Cockroach,  that  Mr.  Polk  had  planned  all  of  Gen. 
Taylor's  battles,  and  was  entitled  to  the  credit  of  all  his 
victories.  Every  luckless  expression,  every  inadvertent 
act,  every  hap-hazard  and  natural  boast,  every  feature 
of  his  public  character,  and  every  transaction  of  his 
private  life  were  brought  up  in  judgment  against  the 
honest  old  senator.  The  broad  and  beautiful  demo- 
cratic banner  waved  above  the  head  of  the  speaker, 
opposite  to  that  of  the  whigs,  and  the  burly,  frank  coun- 
tenance of  Gen.  Cass  stood  out  with   bold  relief  in  his 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  153 

favor,  stamped  with  benevolence,  and  wreathed  with  a 
lurking  expression  of  stoic  calmness. 

It  is  not  a  bad  idea  to  paint  the  faces  of  antagonists 
for  these  high  offices  on  our  party  banners!  It  restrains 
many  an  impudent  burst  of  factional  malignity,  and 
wins  us,  by  association,  from  the  passion  of  party  to  the 
purer  shrine  of  patriotism ! 

After  some  few  side  thrusts  at  the  want  of  proper  cha- 
ritable feeling  (as  the  major  called  it)  displayed  by  his 
adversary  in  regard  to  Mr.  Fillmore,  and  an  eloquent  de- 
fence of  that  distinguished  personage,  Maj.  Gunsmasher 
was  also  called  do\vn  to  time  ;  and  then  the  long-expect- 
ed, eagerly-desired,  inspiring  signal  for  dinner  was  pomp- 
ously muezzined  by  the  chief  marshal,  and  a  general 
dash  was  instantly  made  for  the  tables.  These  were 
arranged  in  parallel  rows,  at  intervals  only  of  a  few  feet, 
and  close  beside  the  savory,  smoking  pit.  The  ladies  were 
quickly  provided  for,  and  then  each  voter,  rejoicing  in 
his  free  privileges,  fell  greedily  to  work.  Roasted  beef, 
and  mutton  saddles,  and  greasy,  barbecued  shoats,  and 
venison  haunches,  and  whole  armies  of  minor  victims 
were  indiscriminately  assaulted  and  uncereracmiously 
dispatched.  Plates  rattled,  and  dishes  cracked,  and 
tumblers  rang  forth  their  harmonicon  notes,  and  the  on- 
slaught of  knives  and  forks  resounded  and  reverberated 
like  the  clash  of  arms  in  an  old-fashioned  conflict.  A 
distant  listener  might  even  have  heard  the  sharp  smack 
of  lips,  and  the  more  appalling  crash  of  teeth  as  grinders 
tore  apart  the  quivering  flesh  from  its  parent  bone.  Po- 
litical animosities  were  greased  over  at  this  welcome 
and  all-healing  shrine,  and  Cass  men  and  Taylor  men 
joined  forces  in  the  common  foray.     It  was  like  Marion 


154  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

feasting  the  Britisli  officer  on  his  roasted  potatoes,  and 
then  telling  him  that  there  was  a  Bryseis  in  dispute,  about 
whom  they  must  fight  to-morrow.  Well!  better  over  a 
smoking  dinner,  I  think,  than  not  at  all! 

In  the  afternoon,  two  short  speeches  were  delivered  to 
the  dull  and  drowsy  auditors,  and  then  the  wireworkers 
of  each  party  eagerly  ran  up  to  find  the  state  of  opinion 
among  the  three  cases  for  which  they  had  waged  mortal 
strife  for  the  last  six  hours.  All  was  anxious  expecta- 
tion. 

"  Well,  old  man,"  said  a  democrat  to  the  old  sore- 
eyed  planter,  who  was  calmly  picking  his  teeth,  "  now 
that  you  have  your  head  and  belly  both  well  filled,  how 
do  you  stand  .^" 

^'  If  you  are  dalking  to  be,  by  friend,"  replied  the  old 
planter,  shaking  his  toothpick,  **  I  cad  dell  you  by  bind 
wad  fully  bade  up  long  ago — " 

"  How — how  ?"  exclaimed  a  dozen  eager  voices. 

<<  Why,  I  shall  vode  for  old  Zag  Daylor,"  was  the 
reply. 

'*  What!"  said  a  Cass  man,  *^  and  for  that  abolitionist 
Fillmore  for  Vice-President,  too?" 

''  No,"  was  the  brief,  emphatic  answer. 

''  For  whom,  then?"  asked  an  eager  democrat,  spark- 
lingly. 

''Old  Zag  Daylor,"  was  again  shortly  answered. 

"  You  are  mad  ;  Old  Zack  is  only  a  candidate  for 
President." 

*'  Can'd  helb  id,  bud  wish  I  could.  You  see,  by 
friends,  I  cad  vode  for  hib  for  both,  and  thed  Old  Zag 
may  dake  whichever  he  wants,  for  by  pard." 

A  general  laugh  from  both  parties  followed  the  an- 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  155 

nouncement  of  this  unique  conclusion,  and  Mr.  Hard- 
case  was  universally  turned  over  to  offset  the  Hibernian 
admirer  of  Andhrew  McJackson. 

"And  hov^  is  it  with  you  ?"  said  another,  turning  to 
the  overseer,  who  stood  close  by,  grinning  from  ear  to 
ear. 

"  Oh  !  I  am  pretty  much  like  the  old  man,  only  I  took 
a  sort  o'  shine  to  old  Cass,  too,"  was  the  reply  ;  "I'll  try 
and  split  the  difference  betwixt  them  in  my  vote." 

"  Better  split  your  infernally  thick  skull!"  was  the 
smothered  response  from  both  parties.  s^ 

"  Well,  my  good  madam,"  said  a  whig,  addressing 
the  old  widow,  mother  of  him  who  was  soon  to  vote, 
"  and  how  do  you  stand  affected  to  the  candidates?" 

"Me?"  asked  the  old  lady,  in  reply;  "0!  I've 
taken  a  mighty  yearning  to  Milly  Fillmore  there!  He's 
a  winsome,  engagin'  man,  favored  like  my  poor  husband 
that's  dead  and  gone.  Bill  shall  vote  for  him,  if  he 
lives." 

"  Well,  but  about  the  others  ?" 

"La  me,  gents!  I'm  sincerely  jubous  about  all  them 
gin'rals." 

The  parties,  as  the  saying  is,  vamosed. 


156  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES, 


CHAPTER  XI. 

TRAITS  OF  NEGRO  CHARACTER  IN  THE  SOUTH. 

How  much  is  comprehended  in  the  one  word  slavery  ! 
In  the  whole  dictionary,  no  one  word  seems  to  strike  the 
mind  of  a  freeman  with  such  holy  abhorrence.  Vice, 
depravity,  degradation,  infamy,  meanness,  covetousness, 
slander,  and  even  infidelity  and  blasphemy,  are  all  con- 
templated with  far  less  of  horror  and  disgust.  Among 
the  citizens  of  what  are  called  the  free  States  of  our 
Union,  which  are  formed  of  generations  that  have  entirely 
forgotten  the  habits  and  business  (in  one  sense,  at  least) 
of  their  worthy  forefathers — and  in  Great  Britain,  the 
alma  mater  and  progenitress  of  African  slavery — a  south- 
ern negro  is  regarded  as  a  living  deformity  of  vice  and 
prostitution,  a  being  with  the  shape  of  man,  but  lower 
in  infamy  than  the  brute  ;  a  member  of  the  great  human 
family,  whose  situation  is  so  depraved  and  isolated,  so 
impervious  to  all  hopes  of  amelioration  or  of  reformation, 
and  so  entirely  cut  off  from  sympathy  with  the  human 
race,  that  all  association  with  him  is  considered  danger- 
ous and  contaminating.  It  is  only  with  his  persecutors 
and  oppressors,  as  they  are  called,  that  the  poor  slave  is 
held  worthy  of  respect,  of  admiration,  of  confidence,  of 
friendship.  Yet  the  owners  of  slaves  do  not  obtain 
credit  for  this.     On  the  other  hand,  they  are  generally 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  ^^  157 

held  up  in  other  States  and  countries  as  inhuman  mon- 
sters, addicted  to  the  worst  of  crimes,  as  delighting  in 
barbarous  practices  and  cruel  punishments,  and  as  the 
upholders  of  an  institution  opposed  by  the  divine,  the 
moral,  and  the  natural  law.  I  have  been  oftentimes 
amused,  when  a  schoolboy,  to  find  in  my  Olney's  and 
Morse's  Geography  (excellent  and  useful  books)  the 
picture  of  slaves  at  work  on  a  cotton  or  sugar  plantation 
in  the  South,  representing  them  as  lean,  broken-spirited, 
demure-looking  creatures — the  men  without  even  shirts, 
and  the  women  covered  partly  with  a  short  bodice  or 
tunic  (sufficient  only  to  protect  the  modesty  of  female 
students),  whilst  a  lazy,  sluggish,  pampered  overseer  was 
seen  in  their  midst  flourishing  an  immense  bludgeon,  or 
wagon-whip,  urging  them  to  their  tasks  with  a  look  of 
the  most  relentless  ferocity.  These  plates  are  given  to 
illustrate  the  mode  of  treating  and  working  our  slaves, 
and  it  seems  to  have  been  intended  by  the  ingenious 
engraver  to  enforce  the  impression,  so  prevalent  in  the 
Northern  States,  that  the  Southern  negro  is  half  fed, 
half  clothed,  lifeless  and  spiritless  in  disposition,  and 
that  our  overseers  stand  among  them  only  to  be  amused 
now  and  then  by  applying  the  lash  to  the  naked  back  of 
some  grim,  sulky  fellow,  or  to  the  sleek  legs  of  a  tidy, 
"  unadorned"  slut  of  a  negress.  Now,  to  soothe  the 
excited  humanity  of  these  horror-stricken  artists,  let  me 
mention  that  I  have  seen  many  a  group  of  grinning 
negro  urchins  and  little  merry-eyed  black  hussies,  when 
accidentally  engaged  in  looking  over  their  young  master's 
or  mistress's  school  books  of  a  Sunday  morning  (which 
is  generally  a  time  when  all  the  negro  children  on  the 
plantation  feel  at  liberty  to  lurk  and  dodge  around  their 
14 


158  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

owner's  mansion),  and  coming  across  a  picture  of  this 
character,  laugh  heartily  at  their  own  ridiculous  and 
contorted  portraits,  whilst  some  curious  chap,  more 
advanced  in  age,  would  chuckle  to  think  that  anybody 
in  the  world  thought  the  cotton-field  ever  afforded  such 
an  exhibition.  And  so  far  from  the  overseer  being 
placed  there  to  gratify  vindictiveness  or  indulge  a  heart- 
less and  brutal  propensity,  his  duty  is,  like  that  of  a 
schoolmaster  whom  we  require  to  watch  the  studies  of 
our  children,  to  be  always  at  his  post,  and  in  their  midst 
when  at  labor,  that,  by  observing  their  work,  he  may 
distinguish  the  careless  from  the  careful,  the  lazy  from  the 
industrious,  and  protect  the  plant  from  the  incautious  and 
injurious  use  of  tools,  and  thus  prevent  the  necessity  for 
using  the  lash.  Without  this  constant  presence  of  an 
overseer  or  foreman,  the  hopes  of  the  planter  would  often 
be  blasted,  and  the  slave  would  fare  incalculably  worse. 
But  it  is  not  my  object,  in  this  sketch,  to  defend  slav- 
ery. Whether  right  or  wrong,  the  opinions  and  sympa- 
thies of  the  whole  civilized  world  are  against  us.  In  this 
respect,  we  stand  as  much  isolated  as  the  negroes  them- 
selves. I  should  be  far  more  averse,  however,  to  under- 
take a  defence  of  our  policy  towards  the  Indians.  The 
lot  and  condition  of  these  unhappy  and  ill-fated  people 
are  far  more  deplorable  than  those  of  the  Southern  slaves. 
Our  conduct,  as  respects  right  and  justice,  humanity  and 
religion,  is  vastly  more  to  be  contemned  and  reprehended, 
when  viewed  in  connection  with  our  Indian  policy,  than 
in  the  other  case.  Of  the  Northern  tribes  scarcely  any 
remain,  whilst  in  the  Southern  States,  acting  upon  the 
example  of  our  Northern  brethren,  we  are  urging  them 
further  every  day;  and  in  a  few  years  more  a  red  man 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  159 

will  be  a  rare  sight  in  the  land  of  his  inheritance.  Even 
in  the  wild  prairies  and  territories  of  the  west,  they  are 
found  to  be  in  the  way,  and  steps  are  being  taken,  and 
means  prepared,  to  move  them  off  towards  the  distant 
shores  of  the  Pacific.  The  negroes,  in  like  manner,  are 
being  constantly  urged  westward,  and  driven  from  State 
to  State  further  South,  from  precisely  the  same  heartless 
policy  and  un-christian  motive,  viz.,  they  are  found  to  he 
in  the  way  of  the  grasping,  enterprising  Anglo-Saxon. 
The  older  and  more  settled  a  State  becomes,  the  less  use 
we  have  for  these  enslaved  wanderers  from  Africa.  This 
alone  (and  not  obedience  to  any  human  or  religious  sug- 
gestion) has  driven  the  Indian  and  the  negro  alike  from 
Maine  to  Virginia,  and  now  from  Virginia  through  the 
Carolinas  to  Georgia  and  the  South-western  States;  and 
the  same  principle,  in  process  of  time,  will  oust  them  from 
these  ;  and  so  on  until  all  must  end,  as  De  Tocqueville 
says,  either  in  amalgamation  or  extermination. 

There  never  has  been  a  time,  since  the  first  British  or 
Northern  slavedealer  kidnapped  a  poor,  credulous  Afri- 
can, that  slaves  have  been  so  happy  or  so  well  treated  as 
they  are  now  in  the  Southern  States  of  this  Union. 

Their  natural  affections  are  respected  and  encouraged 
with  sedulous  regard  to  their  happiness,  and  their  attach- 
ments as  human  beings  fully  developed  and  cultivated. 
Indeed,  there  is  a  species  of  attachment  daily  growing 
and  increasing  between  the  slaves  and  their  masters' 
families,  which  will,  I  sometimes  imagine,  gain  such  firm 
hold  and  gather  such  strength  as  utterly  to  prevent  the 
adoption  of  any  plan  having  for  its  object  the  emanci- 
pation of  the  slaves,  and,  perhaps,  result  in  the  permanent 
and  inalienable  recognition  of  the  institution.     With  the 


160  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

majority  of  slaveholders  this  feeling  far  outweighs  that 
of  mere  interest.  I  find  a  great  many  here  who  express 
a  perfect  willingness  to  supersede  gradually  slave  labor; 
but  I  have  seen  very  few  who  are  willing  to  part  with 
their  slaves.  They  have  been  raised  together;  the  asso- 
ciations and  recollections  of  boyhood  and  early  life  all 
centre  around  the  same  scenes;  in  many  instances,  they 
may  have  matriculated  at  the  same  breast  (for  it  is  by 
no  means  uncommon,  even  in  the  highest  classes,  for 
black  women  to  nurse  their  mistress's  babe),  and  none 
but  Southerners  can  understand  or  appreciate  the  peculiar 
sympathies  which  thus  are  generated  betwixt  the  master 
and  his  slave.  The  present  generation  of  Southerners 
are  eminently  the  friends  of  the  slaves,  in  every  sense  of 
the  word,  unless  holding  them  in  bondage  be  considered 
as  dis-allied  wuth  such  feeling.  Of  course,  I  do  not  mean 
to  insinuate  that  this  is  universal.  Not  at  all.  As 
Chancellor  Harper,  in  his  most  elegant  essay  on  slavery, 
most  aptly  remarks :  There  are  men  whose  natures  are 
wayward  and  depraved,  and  who  perpetrate  the  most 
a:rocious  and  brutal  cruelties  on  this  unfortunate  race. 
But  these  men,  when  properly  known  or  exposed,  are 
never  countenanced  in  their  neighborhood,  and  nothing 
nowadays  is  visited  with  more  indignant  and  w-ithering 
condemnation  than  harsh  and  mean  treatment  of  slaves. 
Conscious  fully  of  this  agreeable  and  interesting  fact,  the 
slaves  themselves  are  vastly  improved  in  their  moral  and 
social  habits.  They  are  infinitely  more  docile  under  the 
yoke,  and  the  best  proof  is  offered  in  the  fact  that  insur- 
rections and  revolts  are  almost  out  of  date.  The  writer 
has  lived  for  thirty  years  in  the  heart  of  populous  slave 
countries,  been  with  them  under  all  circumstances,  and 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  16l 

witnessed  congregations  of  whole  hundreds  and  thousands 
when  scarcely  fifty  white  men  were  in  hearing  distance, 
and  has  yet  to  see  the  time  when  such  a  thing  w^as  ever 
contemplated  by  the  slaves,  or  seriously  apprehended  by 
the  whites.  There  is  hardly  a  planter  in  Mississippi, 
surrounded  in  some  cases  by  a  hundred  or  two  of  slaves, 
who  closes  his  chamber  doors  or  windows  of  a  summer 
night ;  and  many  have  not  such  a  thing  as  a  gun  or  de- 
fensive weapon  about  their  houses.  Wives  and  daugh- 
ters, and  sisters  and  mothers  are  frequently  left  without  a 
male  protector  for  days  and  weeks  at  a  time,  and  yet  our 
court  records  afford  scarcely  a  case  even  of  attempted 
insult  or  injury.  Can  any  other  country  of  the  whole 
civilized  world  boast  as  much?  What  noble  testimony 
in  favor  of  the  fidelity  and  chivalry  of  the  Southern  negro 
does  such  a  fact  afford!  And  yet  it  is  strictly  true,  and 
without  the  shadow  of  exaggeration. 

There  is  a  certain  planter  in  Mississippi  who  owns 
some  hundred  slaves,  all  of  whom  were  born  and  raised 
in  his  own  or  his  wife's  family.  He  lived  several  miles 
from  the  county  town,  and  was  in  the  habit  of  going  there 
frequently  of  a  morning,  and  coming  home  at  night.  At 
such  times  he  rode  a  fiery,  high-mettled,  and  rather  in- 
tractable horse,  famous  for  its  speed  and  spirit.  Return- 
ing one  evening  rather  later  than  usual,  he  was  suddenly 
overtaken  by  a  severe  thunder-storm,  and  the  cloud 
threatened  to  burst  and  disgorge  its  contents  every  mo- 
ment. Under  these  circumstances,  the  planter  halted  with 
a  hospitable  neighbor,  and  concluded  to  spend  the  night 
rather  than  run  the  risk  of  getting  wet.  As  he  dismount- 
ed, an  old  negro  received  from  his  hands  the  bridle-rein 
of  his  frightened  steed ;  but  at  that  moment  a  loud  clap 

14* 


162  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

of  thunder  so  increased  its  fright  that  the  grasp  of  the 
groom  was  broken  in  an  instant,  and  the  fiery  animal 
broke  at  full  speed  for  home.  About  an  hour  afterwards, 
a  faithful  and  valued  young  negro  fellow,  whose  cabin 
was  next  to  the  road,  was  suddenly  aroused  by  the  fami- 
liar neighing  of  his  master's  favorite  horse,  which  was 
coming  at  a  tearing  gallop  up  the  lane  in  front.  Opening 
his  door,  despite  the  fury  of  the  storm,  to  see  if  all  was 
right,  at  this  late  hour  and  under  such  circumstances 
with  that  master  whom  he  loved  more  than  any  one  else, 
the  poor  fellow  was  terribly  alarmed  to  discover,  as  the 
horse  passed  at  its  reckless  gait,  that  the  rider  was  not 
in  his  seat.  Filled  with  restless  and  eager  apprehen- 
sions, the  faithful  boy  rushed  out  with  frantic  speed,  and 
seized  the  bridle  of  the  horse  as  he  stopped  at  the  avenue 
gate.  He  then  saw,  further,  to  his  dismay,  that  the  saddle 
was  missing,  and  the  bridle  broken  in  several  places. 
He  led  the  terrified  animal  to  the  stable,  and  went  through 
the  various  slave-cabins  to  make  known  the  alarming 
and  melancholy  news.  It  was  received  with  quaking 
hearts  and  gloomy  forebodings — for  the  master  had  been 
raised  up  in  their  midst,  and  most  of  them  had  loved  him 
from  boyhood.  A  consultation  was  held.  The  wife  and 
sister  were  at  the  house,  and  already  uneasy,  though 
hoping  that  he  had  either  not  started  from  town,  or,  as 
was  the  case,  had  stopped  on  the  way.  The  old  family 
nurse  and  housekeeper  declared  it  would  be  the  height 
of  imprudence  to  communicate  the  facts  to  the  ladies  ; 
and  most  of  the  other  servants,  agreeing  in  this,  thought 
it  was  best  at  least  to  make  some  inquiry  and  search 
during  the  night  before  arousing  such  torturing  fears. 
But  the  boy  Pompey  (let  us  call  him)  dissented  altoge- 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  163 

ther,  and  announced  his  double  resolve  to  set  out  through 
rain  and  storm  to  find  his  master,  dead  or  alive,  and  to 
go  straightway  to  his  mistress  with  the  appalling  news, 
saying  it  was  right  she  should  know  all.  Finding  that 
he  was  not  to  be  dissuaded,  the  old  nurse  undertook  to 
break  the  news  to  the  ladies,  from  a  kind  intention  that  she 
might  do  so  in  such  a  manner  as  to  keep  alive  some  hope, 
though  intending  to  make  know^n  all  the  facts.  Whilst 
this  w^as  being  done,  Pompey  and  two  other  trusty  deter- 
mined fellows  had  mounted  their  mules,  and,  unbidden 
by  overseer  or  any  one,  and  totally  regardless  of  the  rag- 
ing storm,  set  out  on  the  forlorn  and  anxious  search  for 
their  master.  At  the  end  of  the  lane,  and  bordering 
the  plantation,  was  an  immense,  dreary  swamp,  watered 
by  a  large  creek,  which  was  now  spread  out  over  the 
whole  bottom,  and  roaring  and  boiling  in  a  frightful  man- 
ner. The  hearts  of  the  devoted  fellows  sank  within  them 
as  the  thought  flashed  on  their  minds  that  their  master  had 
missed  the  bridges  and  causeway,  and  been  swept  off  by 
the  fierce  current.  Nothing  daunted,  they  plunged  in, 
resolving  first  to  visit  the  various  houses  on  the  road  to 
town;  and,  by  dint  of  swimming  and  dangerous  fording, 
succeeded,  after  considerable  difficulty  and  delay,  in  cross- 
ing over.  They  aroused  the  inmates  of  several  neigh- 
boring houses,  and,  hearing  nothing  of  him  they  sought, 
had  almost  resolved  to  turn  back  and  begin  their  perilous 
search  in  the  deep  waters  of  the  swamp.  But  one  of 
the  number  suggested,  fortunately,  that  they  should  go 
one  mile  further  to  the  house  of  an  intimate  friend  of  their 
master.  Here  they  halloed  lustily,  and  the  owner  of 
the  premises  appeared  at  the  door  of  the  gallery,  and, 
finding  who  they  were,  declared  the  safety  of  their  mas- 


164  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

ter,  and  was  in  the  act  of  closing  the  door.  This  did  not 
at  all  suit  the  suspicious  and  anxious  Pompey,  who,  fear- 
ing the  old  gentleman  w^as  merely  trying  to  quiet  their 
fears  so  that  they  might  not  further  alarm  their  mistress, 
boldly  demanded  that  they  should  be  allowed  to  see  their 
master,  if  indeed  he  was  there.  In  this  they  were  grati- 
fied, and  then  with  numerous  ludicrous  expressions  of 
delight,  they  declared  their  intention  of  returning  forth- 
with to  relieve  the  alarmed  wife  and  sister.  In  vain  their 
master  forbade  them  to  run  such  useless  risk  ;  they  were 
not  then  to  be  controlled,  though  usually  obedient  to  his 
every  wish  and  command ;  and  I  have  often  heard  both 
ladies  describe  Pompey  as  he  appeared  at  their  chamber- 
door,  dripping  with  rain,  and  both  rows  of  ivory  shining 
joyously  through  the  dark,  to  tell  the  successful  and  grati- 
fying issue  of  his  expedition. 

This  must  be  taken  as  an  instance  of  genuine,  disin- 
terested devotion,  illustrating  powerfully  the  docility  and 
innate  warmth  of  heart  peculiar  to  the  Southern  slaves 
when  belonging,  as  the  vast  majority  do,  to  kind  and 
humane  masters.  No  hope  of  freedom  inspired,  no 
thought  of  selfish  reward  suggested,  the  dangerous  un- 
dertaking; and  yet  such  instances  of  friendly  interest 
are  by  no  means  rare.  It  is  probable  that  nine-tenths  of 
Southern  planters  could  tell  the  same  sort  of  story,  as 
having  occurred  with  themselves  or  some  one  of  their 
neighbors. 

I  have  heard  a  distinguished  Southern  statesman,  now 
dead,  relate  a  circumstance  directly  similar  to  the  above 
as  having  occurred,  on  a  trying  occasion,  with  two  of  his 
own  favored  negroes.  It  was  a  delightful,  calm  sum- 
mer evening,  and  the  family  had  just  taken  an  airing 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  166 

around  the  environs  of  the  city  in  their  carriage.  As 
they  alighted  on  their  return,  the  nurse,  happening  to 
meet  them  with  the  youngest  child,  a  lovely  little  girl,  in 
her  arms,  obtained  permission  to  ride  out  a  short  distance 
to  amuse  the  infant.  No  one  else  went,  as  the  horses 
were  thought  to  be  perfectly  gentle,  and  as  all  confidence 
was  placed  in  the  driver's  care  and  skill.  But  it  hap- 
pened, in  descending  a  steep  hill  which  arose  beyond  the 
river  on  which  the  little  city  was  situated,  that  a  breast- 
chain  broke,  and  the  carriage  being  pushed  suddenly  upon 
the  horses,  they  started  off  at  a  furious  gait,  and  evi- 
dently in  a  fright.  The  bridge  w^as  to  be  passed,  and 
the  faithful  driver,  more  alarmed  for  their  precious  charge 
than  himself,  shouted  to  the  nurse  with  trembling  voice 
that  he  had  lost  all  control  over  his  horses.  The  honest 
creature  did  not  hesitate,  but  took  her  resolve  in  a  mo- 
ment. With  wonderful  self-possession,  which  could  have 
been  inspired  by  nothing  short  of  her  devotion  to  her 
owners  and  their  beloved  offspring,  and  as  the  only  pos- 
sible chance,  she  hastily  unfastened  the  door,  and  then 
turning  so  as  to  make  sure  of  alighting  on  her  back,  at 
the  same  time  holding  the  infant  at  arms'  length  above 
her  that  it  might  thus  escape  the  slightest  jar,  she  threw 
herself  out  with  a  spring,  perfectly  regardless  of  every- 
thing but  the  safety  of  her  master's  child.  Her  plan  suc- 
ceeded ;  for  several  gentlemen  who  witnessed  the  whole 
affair,  running  up  to  her  aid  immediately,  discovered  that 
the  infant  was  entirely  unhurt,  though  the  devoted  nurse 
had  sustained  severe  injury.  Fortunately,  the  horses 
were  stopped  in  time  to  prevent  any  serious  accident ; 
and  afterwards,  when  the  same  gentlemen  called  to  con- 
gratulate the  distinguished  father  on  his  child's  escape, 


166  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

they  declared  to  him  that  he  possessed  a  treasure  of  price- 
less value  in  this  devoted  nurse — a  fact  of  which  he  was, 
by  the  by,  fully  aware. 

Now  it  would  be  difficult  to  match  either  of  the  above 
instances  by  detailing  similar  acts  of  considerate  devo- 
tion in  connection  wath  hired  servants,  whose  bonds  of 
affection  are  altogether  of  a  different  nature,  and  are  cul- 
tivated only  in  proportion  to  the  wages  they  receive.  In 
England  or  France,  where  servants,  in  some  cases,  are 
retained  for  long  generations  in  the  same  families,  such 
cases  may,  and  do  sometimes  occur;  but  it  must  be  re- 
collected that  the  one  is  a  slave,  and  the  other  a  freeman 
—the  first  purely  and  entirely  disinterested;  the  other 
the  recipient  of  yearly  wages,  and  capable  from  birth  of 
being  promoted  to  a  higher  and  more  respectable  sphere. 
This  difference  is  vital,  and  leaves  a  large  and  highly 
honorable  balance  in  favor  of  the  poor  bondman. 

In  times  of  fire  on  the  plantations,  or  in  the  towns  and 
cities,  none  work  with  such  fearless  energy,  or  labor  wdth 
such  indomitable  zeal,  as  the  slaves.  The  more  daring 
and  full  of  danger  the  feat  to  be  performed,  the  more 
eager  do  they  become  to  undertake  and  accomplish  it. 
Their  exertions  on  such  occasions  to  save  houses  and 
property  in  which  they  have  not  the  slightest  interest  are 
sometimes  of  such  extraordinary  character  as  almost  to 
amount  to  a  species  of  rabid  and  contagious  frenzy. 
And  yet  a  kind  look  or  expression,  a  w^ord  of  praise,  or 
perhaps  a  glass  of  spirits,  is  all  the  reward  they  ever 
desire  or  look  for,  and  with  either  of  these  they  go  away 
more  than  satisfied,  whilst  public  thanks,  and  big  din- 
ners, and  convivial,  complimentary  wine  suppers  fall  to 
the  lot  and  flatter  the  pride  of  their  white  co-laborers. 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  167 

Many  years  ago  the  capitol  of  one  of  our  sovereign  States* 
was  saved,  as  was  then  universally  conceded,  only  by 
the  reckless  efforts  and  unterrified  constancy  of  a  brave- 
hearted  slave.  In  this  instance,  indeed,  the  legislature, 
then  in  session,  offered  to  buy  and  set  free  the  saviour 
of  the  splendid  building  in  which  the  whole  archives 
and  records  of  the  State  were  deposited ;  but  the  slave 
himself,  I  believe,  refused  to  be  made  the  recipient  of 
their  bounty,  preferring  to  remain  with  a  master  whom 
he  loved  rather  than  obtain  his  liberty  by  forever  expa- 
triating himself.  A  deed  like  this  would  do  honor  to  the 
memory  of  a  Fabricius,  a  Manlius,  or  of  the  Decii  them- 
selves; and  the  records  of  those  ancient  days,  when  pa- 
triotism was  evidenced  by  the  most  devoted  oblations, 
afforded  no  such  strong  and  admirable  instance  of  pure 
disinterestedness. 

In  addition  to  these  admirable  traits  of  single-hearted- 
ness and  devotion,  illustrations  of  which  might  be  inde- 
finitely extended  and  multiplied,  the  Southern  negro 
inherits  a  disposition  unusually  cheerful  and  buoyant,  is 
gifted  with  a  fine  imagination,  and,  as  a  general  thing, 
delights  in  the  marvelous  or  supernatural.  Care  never 
wrinkles  the  slaves'  brow,  and  even  when  grief  assails 
them  (as  sometimes  it  does  in  the  most  excruciating  of 
all  ways),  their  natural  impulsiveness  and  vivacity  soon 
enable  them  to  subdue  and  forget  it.  With  regard  to 
their  inventive  powers  or  lively  creations  of  fancy,  I  have 
only  to  suggest  those  simple  tales  of  the  nursery  and 
dining-room,  to  conjure  up  whole  hosts  of  fond  and  cher- 
ished associations  of  boyhood's  bright  days  to  the  mind 

*  Georgia. 


168  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

of  every  Southern  reader,  and  which  afford  the  most  ac- 
ceptable testimony  of  the  fact.  They  weave  the  most 
agreeable  and  interesting  stories  in  connection  with  the 
more  harmless  tenants  of  our  Southern  forests  ;  not  Father 
iEsop  himself  was  ever  able  to  concoct  more  quaint  and 
fanciful  little  fables  about  opossums,  foxes,  rabbits,  and 
racoons  than  these  merry-souled  creatures.  Not  a  hol- 
low stump,  or  stooping  tree,  or  bubbling  spring,  or 
rippling  stream  for  miles  around  the  country,  but  what 
they  can  clothe  with  a  species  of  interest  that,  with  loftier 
minds,  and  in  other  countries,  may  have  opened  exhaust- 
less  veins  of  genuine  romance. 

But  it  is  in  the  awful  and  the  marvelous  that  they 
most  delight,  and  in  which  they  so  greatly  excel.  Their 
religion  is  the  effect  of  enthusiasm  actively  excited  by 
a  picture  of  woe  or  suffering,  or  a  prospect  of  inviting 
comfort  and  happiness.  If  they  could  be  believed  with 
safety  in  matters  of  religious  testimony,  it  might  be 
justly  argued  that  the  days  of  miracles,  and  strange 
sights,  and  supernatural  warnings,  and  social  intercourse 
between  the  chosen  on  earth  and  the  saints  in  glory,  are 
not  passed  away  by  a  long  jump.  It  is  not  at  all  uncom- 
mon for  an  evangelist  or  an  angel  to  call  down,  and, 
taking  a  score  or  two  of  them  by  the  hand,  lead  them  to 
some  high  mountain,  where  the  whole  army  of  heaven 
may  be  seen  drawn  out  to  meet  the  prince  of  darkness. 
They  hear  every  order  given  during  the  battle,  the  shock 
of  arms,  the  most  awful  roar  of  artillery,  and  groans  and 
lamentations  enough  to  drown  more  than  all  that  ever 
came  from  Rama.  They  confidently  believe  (that  is, 
the  greater  part  of  them)  that  it  is  only  at  the  point  of 
the  bayonet  that  our  Saviour  can  keep  down  Satan  and 


,    '  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  169 

his  legions,  which  is  very  natural,  considering  that  they 
have  not  sufficient  education  to  distinguish  betwixt 
figures  of  speech  and  real  matters  of  fact.  Hence  they 
most  generally  choose  to  construe  what  sermons  they 
hear  quite  literally;  and  as  battle  and  its  roar,  its  toil  and 
its  suffering,  are  favorite  topics  of  illustration  with  all 
preachers,  they  very  charitably  conclude  that  they  are 
listening  to  plain,  unvarnished,  downright  truth.  They 
often  give  in,  as  their  religious  experience,  tales  of  won- 
der and  imaginative  beauty  that  bear  the  impress  almost 
of  insanity,  and  which  would  astonish  the  most  gifted  of 
fictitious  waiters.  If  they  are  checked  in  these  super- 
natural flights  and  alluring  mental  vagaries,  and  brought 
down  suddenly  to  the  sober  realities  and  substantial  re- 
quirements of  religion,  they  are  most  apt  to  surrender  all 
their  Christianity.  It  has  no  longer  any  charms  for  their 
warm  and  active  imaginations,  when  divested  of  this 
hallucinary  garb.  With  a  view,  I  suppose,  to  induce 
the  grand  and  desirable  end  of  religious  toil,  by  encour- 
aging so  happy  a  delusion,  this  pious  lying  is  consider- 
ately winked  at  even  by  good  and  intelligent  men,  w^ho 
denominate  it  the  adaptability  of  the  Christian  system. 
Exaggeration,  which  is  the  child  of  enthusiasm  and  cre- 
dulity, comes  as  natural  to  negroes  as  the  breath  of 
life  ;  and  hence  they  claim  full  indulgence  as  concerns 
their  spiritual  affairs  and  experience ;  nor  do  I  see  how 
they  can  well  be  restricted.  Greater  latitude  is  required, 
and  must,  of  necessity,  be  allowed. 

But  it  is  in  the  w^ay  of  ghosts,  and  goblins,  and  phan- 
toms, that  the  Southern  negroes  find  a  full  community  of 
thought  and  belief.     On  this  point  not  a  dissenter  is  to 
be  found;  and  I  have  discovered  that  the  Gospel  rather 
15 


170  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

tends  to  confirm  and  increase  this  amiable  weakness 
than  to  suppress  and  eradicate  it.  This,  too,  is  quite  ex- 
plicable, as  they  hear  much,  in  the  Old  Testament  espe- 
cially, of  ghosts  and  witches  ;  and  being  told  that  God  is 
the  same  in  all  ages,  and  that  he  never  changes,  they  can- 
not see  why  there  should  not  be  ghosts  and  witches  in  their 
day  and  time  as  well  as  in  the  days  of  Saul  and  Samuel. 
But  their  superstition  does  not  end  here.  The  howl  of 
a  dog,  the  note  of  a  whippowil,  the  screech  of  the 
small  swamp  owl,  inspire  them  at  all  times  with  awe  and 
solemn  forebodings  of  evil  shortly  to  come  ;  and  the  ac- 
cidental, ticking  noise  of  a  little  death-watch,*  at  their 
bed's  head  of  a  night,  sounds  in  their  ears  like  a  funeral 
knell.  The  flight  of  birds  after  night,  is  regarded  by 
them  as  a  bad  omen  ;  and  the  sudden  appearance  of  a 
will-o'-the-wisp  strikes  them  oftentimes  with  the  most 
ludicrous  terror.  Taking  advantage  of  this  credulity,  the 
Southern  boys,  in  almost  every  family,  are  in  the  habit  of 
amusing  themselves  by  playing  many  a  mischievous  prank 
on  the  simple  creatures,  although  it  sometimes  happens 
that  the  tables  are  turned  quite  unexpectedly,  for  it  is  a 
matter  of  most  serious  belief  even  among  the  best  and 
most  intelligent  slaves.  I  heard  a  distinguished  gentle- 
man of  Georgia,  now  no  more,  relate  a  very  touching 
little  incident  w^hich  occurred  with  himself  in  this  con- 
nection. His  father  owned  a  fine,  honest,  and  trusty  old 
fellow,  whose  religious  sincerity  was  never  called  in 
question,  and  who  was  noted  for  the  warmth  of  his  at- 
tachment to  both  his  master  and  mistress.  Whilst  the 
gentleman  alluded  to  was  yet  very  young,  he  had  the 

*  A  species  of  small  bug. 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  171 

misfortune  to  lose  his  mother,  and  one  dark  night,  not 
long  after  the  sad  event,  he  conceived  a  project  of  fright- 
ening his  father's  old  servant,  who  was  well  known  to 
believe  in  ghosts.  So,  wrapping  himself  in  a  long,  flow- 
ing sheet,  and  disguising  his  features  with  a  false-face 
made  of  w^hite  paper,  he  took  the  path  to  the  cabin  in 
which  the  negroes  lived.  Most  of  them  had  gone  to 
their  rest,  but  the  old  fellow  himself  was  standing  in 
a  melancholy,  reflective  attitude,  before  the  fire,  which 
was  now  very  nearly  burnt  down.  Creeping  noiselessly 
to  the  door,  he  suddenly  presented  himself,  in  his  grave- 
like habiliments,  before  the  astonished  servant,  who,  as  it 
happened,  so  far  from  betraying  the  least  symptom  of 
fright,  burst  into  tears,  and  holding  both  hands  implor- 
ingly towards  the  supposed  spirit,  exclaimed,  in  w^oefui 
accents,  "  Ah,  there 's  my  poor,  dear  mistress !"  This  was 
an  effect  very  far  different  from  what  had  been  antici- 
pated, and  being  totally  unprepared  for  so  touching  an 
appeal,  and  having  thought  of  anything  else  than  per- 
sonating his  deceased  parent,  the  tender-hearted  youth 
threw  off"  his  disguise,  asked  the  affectionate  old  negro's 
pardon,  and  mingled  his  own  tears  freely  with  those  of 
his  humble  friend. 

The  dialect  of  the  negro  is  another  and  striking  pecu- 
liarity of  character,  and  one  which  often  affords  much 
amusement.  But,  at  the  same  time,  I  have  been  much 
diverted  to  find  our  tale-tellers  and  novel-writers  con- 
cocting a  sort  of  disjointed,  incongruous,  unintelligible 
jargon  for  their  negro  characters,  something  more  like 
the  style  of  talk  among  any  other  people  than  our  South- 
ern negroes.  This  might  be  naturally  expected  from 
Northern  writers,  who,  some  how,  imagine   that  these 


172  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

people  still  converse  in  the  broken  language  of  the 
native  African  ;  but  it  is  astonishing  that  even  gentlemen 
born  and  raised  in  their  midst  should  have  fallen  into 
the  same  error.  For  instance,  I  have  met  with  the  fol- 
lowing in  an  old  file  of  a  certain  Southern  journal  (now 
defunct),  by  a  nameless  author,  though,  it  is  to  be  pre- 
sumed, of  Southern  birth  : — 

"Ky  ole  maussa!  you  gon  fule  me  ater  all!  When 
young  mass  cummin  een  place  ?  I  yerree-ee  ride  hoss 
fur  kill!" 

**  Ees  maussa!  obshaa,  him  say,  cause  me  gon  cut 
me  medjure  half  inch  too  short — him  no  care  a  dam! — 
enty  dat  de  cuss?" 

Now,  it  strikes  me,  with  all  due  deference  to  this 
nameless  and  talented  author,  that  either  of  the  above 
sentences  read  out  to  one  of  our  plantation  negroes 
would  be  hardly  less  unintelligible  to  him  than  Choctaw 
or  Congo.  There  are  w^ords,  and  tortured  pronuncia- 
tions, and  exclamations,  which  no  Southern  negro  ever 
uses,  and  a  raw  African  would  scarcely  make  so  bad  an 
attempt,  although  they  are  taught  to  speak  a  tongue 
something  like  the  above  from  just  the  same  notion  that 
causes  parents  to  clothe  infant  thoughts  with  outlandish 
jargon.  The  savages  in  De  Foe's  story  of  Robinson 
Crusoe  are  made  to  talk  in  the  same  unnatural  and  dis- 
torted English,  and  hence,  I  suppose,  the  idea  of  giving 
to  our  negroes  the  language  quoted  above.  Our  most 
distinguished  Northern  writers  resort  to  the  same  fanciful 
vocabulary  when  they  introduce  the  negro  in  their  works 
of  fiction.  But  it  is  wholly  different  from  their  modes  of 
expression  ;  and  these  remarks  being  intended  solely  for 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  173 

explanation,  I  have  ventured  to  use  the  above  to  illus- 
trate, by  no  means  to  criticize. 

That  the  negroes  mispronounce  and  misuse  words 
most  ludicrously  is  very  true  ;  but  they  rarely  indulge 
the  artless  and  perverted  lingo  so  usually  put  in  their 
mouths  by  the  novel-writers.  Their  real  arid  natural 
manner  of  talking  and  expressing  their  ideas  is  truly 
laughable,  because  of  their  attempts  at  pompous  and  pre- 
cise declamation,  not  from  their  distorted  tone  and  unna- 
tural gibberish  ;  and  this  fact  has  been  aptly  turned  to 
advantage  by  the  strolling  banjo  players  and  Ethiopian 
singers,  who  so  often  divert  their  audiences  with  genuine 
specimens  of  the  negro  manner  and  dialect. 

The  late  Hon.  William  H.  Crawford,  so  affectionately 
and  proudly  remembered  by  all  Georgians,  owned  four 
native  Africans,  brought  to  this  country  among  the  last 
importations  of  those  unfortunate  wTetches  who  could  be 
sold  within  the  time  prescribed  by  the  Federal  Constitu- 
tion. Their  names  were  quite  remarkable,  and  formed 
a  rude  jingle  when  pronounced  consecutively,  not  un- 
pleasant to  be  heard.  They  were  called  thus,  "  Capity, 
Saminy,  Quominy,  Quor."  In  the  same  neighborhood, 
there  happened  to  be  residing  another  native  African, 
rather  more  Americanized  than  the  first,  and  these  five 
old  fellows,  especially  as  some  of  them  bore  on  their 
faces  the  strange  scars  inflicted  for  some  unknown  dis- 
tinguivshing  purpose  in  their  native  country,  w^ere  treated 
w^ith  marked  respect  by  all  the  other  negroes  for  miles 
and  miles  around.  It  was  easy  to  detect,  in  this  filial 
and  superstitious  reverence  for  genuine,  unadulterated 
sons  of  their  common  native  soil,  the  origin  of  that  obe- 
dience to  the  supposed  servants  of  Obi,  and  other  Afri- 

15* 


174  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

can  idols,  which  holds  good  at  this  day  among  the  slaves 
and  negroes  in  the  West  Indies  and  South  America. 
Their  illustrious  owner  himself  always  treated  them 
with  rather  more  kindness  of  manner  and  respect  than 
his  other  slaves,  and  would  never  allow  them  to  be  sub- 
jected to  the  lash  except  in  case  of  dow^nright  resistance 
to  the  authority  of  his  overseer  (and  this  was  a  fault 
with  them  occasionally),  and  even  then  with  manifest 
reluctance,  and  only  from  imperative  convictions  of  duty. 
Their  habits  and  dispositions  were  as  unlike  those  of  our 
native  negroes  as  it  is  possible  to  conceive,  when  it  is 
considered  that  they  are  the  same  race.  They  had  none 
of  that  merry-heartedness  and  vivacity  which  I  have 
elsewhere  pictured  as  a  trait  of  our  Southern  negroes, 
and,  though  not  decidedly  morose,  or  fractious,  they  were 
yet  exclusive,  and  somewhat  unapproachable.  They 
required  far  less  whipping  to  coerce  attention  to  their 
tasks;  indeed,  they  worked  with  remarkable  diligence, 
and  it  was  only  in  case  of  a  misunderstanding  about 
some  matter  of  business  betwixt  them  and  the  overseer 
that  they  ever  became  refractory,  or  were  brought  under 
the  lash.  On  the  other  hand,  our  Southern  negroes 
rarely  ever  resist  (though  now  and  then  they  runaway 
when  frightened  by  overseers  freshly  employed),  but 
they  are  generally  indolent  and  careless  if  they  are  al- 
lowed to  think  that  whipping  will  not  be  resorted  to.  I 
never  knew  a  native  African  to  runaway  from  his  mas- 
ter's plantation.  They  stand  their  ground  doggedly, 
like  the  Roman  or  British  soldier,  regardless  of  conse- 
quences ;  and  to  carry  out  the  simile,  they  often  fight 
with  the  same  determined  courage,  unhappily  for  them  ! 
I  resided,  when  a  boy,  for  several  years  in  the  family 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  175 

of  a  near  relative  whose  estate  joined  that  of  Mr.  Craw- 
ford, and  was  often  a  visitor  at  Woodlawn.  With  the 
simple  curiosity  of  childhood,  and  being  always  fond  of 
out-of-the-way  gleanings,  it  was  a  favorite  pastime  with 
me,  whilst  my  cousins  and  schoolmates  were  engaged 
with  their  usual  diversions,  to  hunt  up  these  old  Africans, 
and  gather  their  stories  of  their  native  clime.  The  most 
favorable  time  for  this  was  on  Sundays,  when  their  coun- 
tryman and  comrade,  old  Dick,  who  belonged  to  a  dif- 
ferent plantation,  would  come  over  to  spend  the  day  with 
them.  I  have  sat  for  whole  hours  of  a  summer  day 
under  the  shade  of  a  spreading  oak,  or  by  the  cheerful 
fire  of  their  rude  and  homely  ingle-sides  when  in  winter, 
and  listened  w^ith  intense  delight  to  the  history  of  the 
fierce  wars  which  had  raged  between  hostile  princes  in 
their  native  country,  or  to  some  dangerous  and  interesting 
personal  adventure  with  wild  animals  of  the  desert  or 
forest.  The  scene  was  rendered  doubly  interesting 
when  a  company  of  our  native  born  negroes  would 
chance  to  call  in,  for  then  their  staring  eyes,  open 
mouths,  and  peculiarly  respectful  attitudes  would  always 
provoke  my  risible  indulgences.  Sometimes,  on  these 
occasions,  the  old  Africans  would  become  so  completely 
absorbed  in  their  own  narratives,  or  so  carried  away  by 
early  grateful  recollections,  that  they  would  involuntarily 
slide  into  the  dialect,  or  rather  Ihigo  of  their  native  country, 
and,  totally  forgetful  of  my  ignorance,  or  that  they  were 
talking  for  my  gratification,  continue  to  jabber  away  for 
hours  at  a  time.  At  the  close  of  such  conversations,  as 
was  always  their  way,  they  would  rise,  one  after  another, 
and  walk  silently  off  for  some  considerable  distance ; 
though  it  was  scarcely  ever  more  than  five  or  ten  minutes 


176  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

before  they  reassembled.  Old  Dick,  who  had  a  wife  in 
my  uncle's  negro  family,  and  with  whom,  in  conse- 
quence, I  was  much  better  acquainted  than  the  rest,  took 
especial  pleasure  in  teaching  me  the  African  numerical 
count ;  and  as,  notwithstanding  that  many  tourists  have 
gleaned  that  of  the  various  Indian  tribes  of  the  country, 
it  is  most  likely  that  no  other  person  has  felt  sufficient 
interest  to  gather  and  recollect  that  of  this  proscribed 
and  degraded  race,  I  will  here  venture  to  write  down  for 
my  reader's  curiosity  this  chance-gathering  of  my  early 
boyhood.  Their  count,  which,  like  that  of  all  the  abori- 
ginal tribes  with  which  I  am  acquainted,  extends  to  the 
magic  number  often  only,  is  as  follows:  "Kelleh,  fullah, 
subah,  nanni,  lolo,  waulo,  oolulah,  suggah,  conontah, 
tah."  I  presume  this  is  the  first  time  that  these  words 
were  ever  written  down,  at  least  in  a  civilized  or  Chris- 
tian tongue,  and  this  fact,  if  no  other,  may  procure  me 
the  reader's  pardon  for  their  introduction.  One  cannot 
fail  to  perceive  that  the  syllabic  terminations,  as  well  as 
the  conformation  of  the  words  themselves,  are  wholly  dif- 
ferent from  those  peculiar  to  the  language  of  the  Indian, 
or  from  any  other  savage  lingo  ;  while  there  is  a  smooth- 
ness in  the  succession  and  flow  of  the  numbers  which 
might  argue  a  faint  poetic  touch  even  with  these  bar- 
barous heathens.  I  cannot  find  that  any  Indian  modes  of 
counting  run  so  smoothly  together;  they  are  rather  uni- 
formly harsh  and  unharmonious.  The  curious  reader 
will,  perhaps,  indulge  an  illustration  of  this,  as  the  point 
of  inquiry  possesses  certainly  the  rare  merit  of  novelty, 
if  not  of  utility. 

In  the  antiquated  history  of  Virginia  by  the  celebrated 
Capt.  John  Smith,  of  Pocahontas  memory  (more  recently 
signalized  and  consigned  to  standard  history  by  the  clas- 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  177 

sic  pen  of  Wm.  Gilraore  Simms),  we  find  the  following 
authentic  record  of  the  count  used  by  the  Powhatan 
Indians,  and  which,  as  it  had  no  connection  with  Smith's 
personal  adventures,  Mr.  Simms  does  not  append  to  his 
elegant  and  useful  biography  of  the  British  hero.  I  se- 
lect this  count  because,  unlike  that  of  the  African,  and 
most  Indian  tribes  too,  I  find  it  written  and  preserved ; 
and  I  introduce  it  only  to  give  my  courteous  reader  a 
fair  opportunity  to  compare  the  two.  They  stop  also  at 
ten,  and  their  numbers  are  these  :  "  Necut,  ningle,  nuss, 
yowgh,  parauske,  cummotinch,  tuppawoss,  nusswash, 
kekatawgh,  kaskekee."  Here  are  all  the  harshness  and 
abruptness  of  the  Indian  mode  of  talking,  with  little  or 
no  pretension  to  smoothness  and  harmony  of  sound. 
The  genius  of  Cooper,  and  the  graphic  sketches  of  that 
first  of  American  writers,  Washington  Irving,  have  thrown 
around  the  Indian  character  a  halo  of  romantic  and  po- 
etic interest  which  no  other  savage  race  has  been  fortu- 
nate enough  to  elicit.  The  characters  and  scenes  of 
their  works,  however,  belong  to  a  past  age  ;  and  a  cen- 
tury of  contact  with  the  white  man  has  either  totally 
changed  and  corrupted  the  Indian  nature,  or  else  the 
genius  and  imagination  of  these  fathers  of  our  literature 
have  been  suffered  to  ramble  with  that  unrestricted  liberty 
which  Horace,  in  his  *' ArsPoetica,"  emphatically  claims 
for  poets  and  painters.  The  Indians  of  our  day,  besides 
having  a  full  share  of  all  the  lower  and  degrading  vices 
of  the  Southern  negro,  such  as  stealing,  lying,  and  filthy 
tastes,  are  noted  for  cowardice,  and  craft,  and  meanness 
of  every  description.  They  possess  not,  so  far  as  ray 
observation  and  experience  go,  a  single  admirable  vir- 
tue, or  magnanimous  or  noble  quality  of  heart  or  mind. 


178  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

The  Southern  slave,  much  more  the  native,  free-born  Af- 
rican, is  his  superior  in  every  sense  of  the  word  ;  and 
although  slaves  for  life,  and  begetting  slaves,  I  do  not 
know  a  negro  that  would  countenance  an  exchange  of 
situations  with  a  Choctaw  or  Chickasaw  Indian.  As  a 
general  thing,  these  are  hardly  above  the  animals. 

I  take  the  liberty  of  reminding  my  reader  of  these 
facts,  because  it  may  appear,  at  first  sight,  somewhat 
hazardous  to  attempt  throwing  any  interest  of  a  romantic 
character  over  the  despised  sons  of  Libya.  Who  knows, 
however,  that  the  banks  of  the  Gambia,  the  Senegal, 
the  Niger,  and  the  wilds  of  Nigritia,  and  the  luck- 
less regions  of  Congo  and  Guinea,  might  not  afford,  if 
called  with  a  view  to  storied  interest,  more  than  mere 
shadowy  foundations  for  romance  !  Suppose  w^e  picture 
to  ourselves  a  rude  but  cheerful-looking  hut  beneath  the 
fierce  sun  and  the  cloudless  sky  of  ill-fated  Guinea, 
filled  with  a  happy  family,  and  surrounded  with  the  simple 
and  rude  embellishments  of  native  taste.  The  father  has 
gone  in  the  forest  to  hunt  the  lion  ;  the  mother  is  absent 
on  some  domestic  errand.  They  have  left  their  little 
children  to  the  care  only  of  an  elder  daughter,  and  per- 
haps she,  unsuspicious  and  confiding  creature,  has  avail- 
ed herself  of  this  temporary  absence  of  her  watchful 
parents  to  admit  some  dark-skinned  but  devoted  lover  to 
her  embraces  in  this  green-sheltered  cot.  Dreaming  not 
of  danger,  but  absorbed  with  the  glowing  fervor  and 
kindling  emotions  of  those  tender  passions  which,  gath- 
ering in  that  burning  realm  tenfold  intensity,  and  un- 
bridled by  the  cold  and  withering  formalities  of  less 
exciting  climes,  disdain  the  trammels  of  refined  society, 
these  beings  of  Nature's  mould  abandon  themselves  to 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  179 

all  the  delights  of  such  a  scene.  But  the  spoiler  has 
been  watching  his  prey  and  patiently  abiding  his  time  ; 
the  opportunity  for  his  accursed  work  is  at  hand;  a 
slave-dealer  rushes  suddenly  upon  them  to  convert  their 
love-dreams  into  an  earthly  hell ;  they  are  seized  and 
ruthlessly  fettered  ;  the  scourge  is  applied  ;  they  yield  to 
fate,  and,  with  breaking  hearts,  breathe  an  eternal  adieu  to 
happy  homes  and  loved  scenes.  Then  the  waste  around 
rings  with  a  piercing  scream  ;  the  mother  has  come  in 
time  to  behold  the  fate  of  her  children ;  she  rushes 
forward  with  frantic  gait,  and,  with  well-timed  humanity^ 
the  ravagers  stop  to  receive  her  as  an  accession  to  their 
profitable  day's  work  !  At  night,  the  father  returns  to 
find  his  home  desolate  and  abandoned,  and  his  happiness 
fled  forever.  The  caress  of  his  wife,  the  smiles  of  his 
children,  will  welcome  him  no  more.  Whose  is  the  heart 
that  sickens  not  at  the  sad  recital  ?  Whose  the  mind 
that  revolts  not  when  contemplating  the  awful  picture  ? 
Humanity  weeps  at  the  reflection,  and  civilization  shrinks ; 
religion  hangs  its  head  in  shame  and  confusion  !  Yet  it 
is  not  uncommon  to  find  traditions  of  this  character 
preserved  in  the  families  of  the  African  descendants.  I 
have  seen  lusty-looking,  cheerful-hearted  fellows  toiling 
with  zeal  and  alacrity  at  their  daily  tasks,  who  would 
laughingly  boast  that  the  blood  of  royalty  flowed  through 
their  veins,  and  there  was  no  doubt  of  the  fact.  The 
negro  is  degraded  and  enslaved  ;  else  romance,  startling, 
thrilling,  and  soul-reaching,  might  be  gathered  from 
sources  like  these. 

They  who  now  find  their  chief  delight  in  fulminating 
anathemas  and  maledictions  against  the  friends  of  domes- 
tic slavery  should  bear  in  mind,  as  honorable  testimony 


180  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

in  our  favor,  that  the  grand  original  sin  belongs,  and 
must  be  visited,  elsewhere.  The  South  demurs  to  all 
responsibility,  and  her  escutcheon  is  stainless  on  this 
point.  The  most  zealous  and  efficient  opponents  of  the 
abominable  and  unchristian  traffic  have  been  found  in  the 
South.  Indeed,  it  is  a  fact  as  creditable  as  it  is  indis- 
putable that  slave-dealing  ships  have  been  rarely  fitted 
out  from  a  Southern  port,  and  never  manned  by  a  South- 
ern crew.  But  I  must  check  a  pen  which  wanders  to  an 
unwitting,  and  perhaps  unwelcome,  digression. 

Another  and  most  anomalous  trait  in  the  character  of 
Southern  negroes  is  that,  w^hilst  utterly  impervious  to  all 
keen  sense  of  moral  restraint  and  obligation  in  their 
habits  and  intercourse,  they  are  not  sensible  of  any  con- 
sequent debasement.  They  lie,  and  steal,  and  com- 
mingle indiscriminately,  and  w^ithout  feeling  that  they 
violate  any  divine  or  moral  law,  or  lose  any  considerable 
ground  in  the  estimation  of  their  owners.  After  they 
have  answered  for  the  offence,  when  detected  and 
convicted,  they  consider  full  expiation  to  have  been 
made,  and,  claiming  alike  forgetfulness  and  forgiveness, 
return  to  the  midst  of  their  fellows  none  the  more 
depressed  because  of  the  crime.  The  fear  of  punish- 
ment alone  restrains  them  in  such  cases,  and  the  only 
mortification  they  experience  is  the  consciousness  of 
being  at  loggerheads  with  their  master  or  overseer.  For 
these  crimes  among  slaves  our  statutes  call  for  no  judi- 
cial interference,  and  affix  no  penalty  for  their  commis- 
sion, except  when  burglary  or  highw^ay  robbery  is 
alleged  in  conjunction  w^ith  the  other  offences.  In  this 
case,  the  law  throws  around  them  the  same  generous 
protection  which  is  yielded  to  the  w^hite  man.     All  capi- 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  181 

tal  offences  are  answerable  by  the  slave  to  the  same 
tribunal  and  in  the  same  way  as  any  other  person.  Of 
course,  though,  a  slave  cannot  be  held  in  law  as  capable 
of  committing  either  adultery  or  crim,  con,;  and  we  have 
the  very  high  authority  of  Judge  Harper  that  the  mere 
theft  of  a  slave  is  no  offence  against  society,  and  is 
almost  undefinable. 

This  laxity  of  morals  among  Southern  slaves  results 
as  well  from  their  negro  temperament  as  from  their 
state  of  bondage.  But  it  is  not  confined  to  Southern 
slaves.  In  other  countries,  where  the  curse  (as  it  is 
called)  of  slavery  does  not  exist,  the  records  of  crime 
are  tenfold  more  numerous.  Very  rarely  is  it  that  our 
courts  are  ever  called  to  take  cognizance  of  petty  larce- 
nies, when  compared  with  the  records  of  those  in  the 
free  States  of  the  North,  or  in  Europe  ;  whereas,  in  the 
case  of  virtue  among  females,  no  country  under  the  sun 
is  so  blessed  as  the  South.  The  existence  of  a  class 
of  females  who  set  little  value  on  chastity,  and  afford 
easy  gratification  to  the  licentious  desires  of  men  who 
belong  to  a  higher  caste,  in  addition  to  the  absence 
of  all  temptation,  accounts  for  this  unparalleled  purity 
and  abstinence  among  the  lower  classes  of  Southern 
females.  As  regards  our  higher  and  polished  circles,  I 
have  yet  to  see  or  hear  the  first  insinuation  thrown  out 
or  the  first  charge  brought.  Their  pre-eminence  is  con- 
ceded. 

I  have  heard  the  story  of  a  young  milliner  lady  who 
happened  to  employ,  on  the  same  day,  two  assistant 
females — one  a  white  girl  freshly  arrived,  and  the  other 
a  mulatto  negress.  Two  weeks  had  not  passed  before 
it  was  discovered  that  the  first  was  a  reffular  courtezan 
16 


182  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

who  received  every  night  visits  from  her  favored  gallants. 
At  the  same  time,  it  was  equally  well  known  that  the 
slave  girl  placed  little  or  no  restraint  on  her  amorous 
inclinations,  as  she  was  already  the  mother  of  offspring 
w^hose  paternity  could  not  easily  have  been  determined. 
The  former  was  at  once  paid  off  and  peremptorily  dis- 
charged. In  vain  she  endeavored  to  extenuate  her  own 
by  instancing  the  exceptionable  conduct  of  the  negress, 
who  was  still  to  be  retained.  The  case  was  widely 
different.  One  had  character  to  lose,  and  deprecated 
detection  ;  she  knew  the  direful  punishment  with  which 
society  visited  her  crime,  and  this  very  knowledge  ren- 
dered her  an  unfit  companion  for  respectable  females  of 
her  own  class  and  complexion.  The  other  belonged  to 
a  degraded  class — degraded  in  the  eyes  of  the  w^hole 
world,  and  consequently  was  never  possessed  of  charac- 
ter, as  defined  strictly  ;  she  cared  nothing  about  detec- 
tion, and  felt  conscious  less  of  crime  than  of  a  natural 
and  constitutional  w^eakness  ;  she  was  far  less  contami- 
nated and  depraved  in  every  sense ;  her  offspring  w^as 
not  a  reproach  or  burden  to  society  ;  and  she  had  done 
no  great  injury  to  herself  or  to  any  other  human  being. 
This  may  seem  anomalous,  but,  as  Judge  Harper 
remarks,  it  is  a  distinction  habitually  made,  and  is 
founded  on  the  unerring  instinct  of  nature.  There  are 
some  instances,  how^ever  (far  more  than  infuriated  op- 
ponents of  the  South  generally  imagine),  where  slaves 
preserve  a  perfectly  virtuous  conduct  and  practice  a 
rigid  morality.  Choosing,  however,  in  portraying  faith- 
fully the  traits  of  negro  character  (if  I  may  use  the  last 
term  in  this  connection),  rather  to  admit  candidly  and 
fully,  than  attempt  to  palliate  or  defend  the  evil,  I  must 


I 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  183 

reaffirm  what  I  have  elsewhere  declared,  viz.,  that  the 
Southern  negroes,  as  a  class  or  body,  are  utterly  desti- 
tute of  moral  perception  and  obedience,  and  that  such 
is  inseparable  from  a  state  of  absolute  slavery. 

I  believe  that  it  would  be  impolitic  and  unsafe  to  attempt 
any  extended  or  liberal  reformation  of  this  evil.  Educa- 
tion is  the  only  remedy,  and  this  wuth  slaves  is  wholly 
out  of  the  question.  They  have  the  Gospel  preached  to 
them — missionaries  (not  incendiaries)  have  free  access 
to  their  quarters,  and  receive  compensation  from  the 
owners;  they  are  excluded  from  no  church  or  place.of 
divine  worship  w^hich  is  frequented  by  the  whites.  But 
this  does  not  by  any  means  reach  the  evil,  and  beyond 
making  them  more  social  and  contented,!  am  unable,  as 
yet,  to  see  that  any  great  good  results.  The  institution 
is  strictly  a  political  one.  I  find  that  its  advocates  (with 
rare  exceptions)  will  maintain  fully  their  rights  on  this 
ground.  As  to  its  morality,  I  do  not  consider  the  ques- 
tion to  be  open.  It  has  been  closed  by  the  acts  of  the 
civilized  world.  If  it  be  a  sin  or  moral  WTong,  it  cannot  be 
rebuked  except  by  stainless  hands.  The  abolitionist  and 
slavery  propagandist — Old  as  well  as  New  England — 
Europe  as  well  as  America — have  all  participated  in  the 
guilt ;  and,  inasmuch  as  it  has  now  become  a  thoroughly 
domestic  institution,  their  descendants  should  not  quarrel 
about  its  right.  An  evil  which  necessity  alone  governs 
must  work  its  own  cure,  and  it  must  disappear  from  the 
South,  if  it  disappear  at  all,  just  as  it  disappeared  from 
the  North — by  the  inevitable  laws  of  population,  and  the 
grasping  enterprise  of  a  more  enlightened  race. 

This  is  a  sketch,  and  not  an  argument.  The  candid 
reader  will  perceive  that  I  have  (even   in   digressions 


184  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

which  could  not  well  have  been  left  out)  touched  the 
subject  more  as  a  Rambler  than  an  essayist.  I  have 
written  just  as  I  thought,  with  no  desire  to  promulgate  my 
opinions  as  authority,  or  as  an  index  to  those  generally 
entertained  in  my  native  sunny  clime.  Whatever  may 
be  my  biases  as  a  Southron,  or  my  views  of  the  naked 
question  in  dispute  between  sections  of  this  Union,  I 
have  abstained  studiously  from  all  allusion  to  them  in 
this  place. 


1 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  185 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE    BRIDE   OF    L  I  C  K -TH  E- S  K  I  LLE  T  . 

The  south-eastern  corner  of  N e  county,  in  Mis- 
sissippi, is  a  broken  and  rugged  country,  generally  poor 
and  unproductive,  and  peopled  by  a  plain,  honest, 
straightforward  sort  of  folks,  who  glory  more  in  the 
pimple  abundance  by  which  they  are  surrounded  than 
in  any  pretensions  t©  high  and  stylish  living.  In  the 
midst  of  this  wild  and  mountainous  region,  on  the  head 
waters  of  Running  Water  Creek,  which,  flowing  for  some 
distance  through  a  succession  of  hills  and  vales,  strikes 
at  last  a  fruitful  land,  and  empties  itself  into  the  princi- 
pal stream  which  divides  the  county — and  in  a  narrow 
gorge  or  dell,  between  two  high  mountains,  dwelt  an 
honest  plain  old  gentleman  who  was  known  as  Mr.  Peter 
Pomroy.  The  situation  was  isolated  and  remarkably 
picturesque,  combining  the  quiet  prospect  of  winding 
valleys^  watered  by  rivulets  of  the  greenest  hue  from 
the  reflection  of  the  various  tree's  above  and  around,  and 
the  more  grand  and  inspiring  spectacle  of  mountains 
crowned  with  verdant  shrubbery,  from  whose  lofty  sum- 
mits might  be  seen  nearly  the  entire  plain  of  the  up- 
per Bigbee.  The  dwelling  was  constructed  of  hewed 
logs,  like  that  of  all  his  neighbors  (except  that  his  own 
was  rather  more  comfortable)  ;  and,  without  claiming  the 
least  pretension  even  to  moderate  wealth,  Mr.  Pomroy 

16* 


186  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

was  yet  independent  in  his  circumstances,  hospitable 
and  open-hearted  in  his  way  of  living,  and,  as  the  saying 
is,  well  to  do  in  the  world  every  way.  The  farmers  of 
the  country  around  were  not  generally  so  blessed  ;  they 
were  poor  and  sometimes  dependent — genuine  country 
bumpkins  in  their  manners  and  customs,  careless  in  dress, 
rough  in  appearance,  and,  though  eminently  harmless 
and  good  natured,  yet  extremely  rude  and  uncouth  in 
their  intercourse  with  strangers,  or  with  one  another. 
From  these  facts,  as  I  infer,  the  name  of  Lick-the-skillet 
was  given  to  their  district ;  and,  whether  bestowed  in 
derision  or  waggishness,  as  it  comported  with  their  ways 
and  views  to  the  very  notch,  it  was  readily  accepted  by 
the  citizens,  and  the  district  became  so  designated 
throughout  all  the  county.     So  much,  then,  for  names ! 

At  the  distance  of  a  few  paces  only  from  his  humble 
dwelling,  stood  Mr.  Pomroy's  saw  and  grist-mill,  a  low 
one-story  building,  on  the  edge  of  a  steep  dam  formed 
of  trunks  of  trees  and  large  rocks,  over  which  the  water 
roared  and  dashed  like  a  cataract,  filling  the  woods 
around  with  a  continuous  sound  not  unpleasant  to  the 
ear  on  a  still  summer  evening,  and  gently  relieving  the 
sombre  silence  of  the  scene.  The  building  w^as  the 
only  framed  tenement  in  the  country,  and  had  been  erect- 
ed several  years  before  by  an  enterprising  old  Dutch- 
man, who  doubtless  would  have  made  his  fortune  at  saw- 
ing and  grinding  for  the  people  of  Lick-the-skillet,  if 
death  had  not  called  for  him,  and  removed  him  from  the 
scene  of  his  earthly  labors,  about  a  year  after  he  had 
finished  his  mill.  It  now  looked  quite  craggy  and  anti- 
quated, and  was  covered  over  with  a  sort  of  darkish-gray 
furze,  which  gave  it  an  aspect  of  venerable  age.    As 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  187 

Mynheer  Von  Tromp  had  died  before  paying  the  present 
owner  either  for  the  land  or  site,  or  for  some  two  years' 
bed  and  board,  it  fell  out,  of  consequence,  that  Mr.  Peter 
Pomroy  claimed  the  whole  effects  of  the  Dutchman's  in- 
genuity and  labor  as  his  own ;  and,  as  there  was  none  to 
dispute  either  the  right  or  justice  of  the  proceeding,  it 
was  whispered  that  the  old  architect's  death  had  been, 
as  the  neighbors  said,  a  perfect  windfall  and  God-send 
for  his  lucky  creditor.  At  all  events,  it  was  very  well 
known  that  the  old  gentleman  had  nearly  doubled  his 
means  since  he  had  been  undisputed  owner  of  the 
mill  ;  and,  as  the  said  mill  is  destined  to  become  quite 
prominent  in  the  development  of  this  legend,  it  is  thought 
that  a  more  detailed  description  of  its  luckless  constructor, 
and  of  its  own  appearance  and  situation,  may  be  quite 
necessary. 

The  old  millwright  was  a  stout,  chubby,  round-bellied 
Dutchman  of  the  genuine  faderland  stamp,  with  a  face 
like  the  full  moon,  and  eyes  so  small  and  smothered  up 
in  fat  that  it  was  a  wonder  with  many  how  he  managed 
to  squeeze  enough  sight  through  this  barricade  of  flesh 
and  blood  to  carry  on  his  work  in  a  manner  so  neat  and 
expeditious.  He  was  remarkably  industrious  and  cheer- 
ful, sang  some  old  snatch  of  a  German  air  all  the  time 
he  labored,  though  it  was  seldom  he  entered  into  or  en- 
couraged lengthened  conversation  with  his  numerous 
and  inquisitive  visitors.  This  may  have  proceeded  and 
doubtless  did  proceed  from  two  of  the  very  best  of  causes, 
viz.,  he  was  too  frugal  and  industrious  to  waste  his  time 
in  idle  talk,  and,  what  was  more,  he  spoke  the  English 
language  very  imperfectly  and  unintelligibly.  The  old 
fellow  was  wholly  absorbed  with  his  plan  of  turning  his 


188  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

time  and  labor  to  thrifty  account,  worked  incessantly 
from  sunrise  until  sunset,  never  leftT^home  during  the 
whole  two  years  that  he  lived  with  Mr.  Pomroy,  except 
on  Sundays,  when,  instead  of  going  to  meeting,  he  in- 
variably hunted  game  all  day.  This  gave  very  consider- 
able offence  to  the  hard-shell  people  of  Lick-the-skillet, 
many  of  whom  boldly  predicted  that  he  could  never 
come  to  any  good  or  Christian  end.  Now,  whether 
this  sage  and  charitable  prophecy  contributed  at  all  to- 
wards inducing  the  melancholy  and  strange  accident 
which,  in  the  end,  brought  about  the  death  of  Mynheer 
Von  Tromp,  it  does  not  avail  me  to  say;  but  certain  it  is 
that  it  came  literally  to  pass  -as  to  the  first  part,  for  he 
surely  came  to  a  very  bad,  though  I  feel  no  authority  to 
characterize  it  as  an  unchristian,  end. 

During  the  time  that  the  mynheer  resided  in  Lick-the- 
skillet,  he  showed  no  especial  favor  or  liking  to  any  per- 
sons except  the  pretty  little  daughter  of  his  worthy  host, 
and  a  wild,  harum-scarum,  rumpusing  blade  who  set 
up  for  being  a  doctor,  though  more  akin,  as  many,  said, 
to  old  Nick  than  to  Galen,  and  who  was  known  through 
the  neighborhood  by  the  familiar  name  of  Hop  Hubbub. 
For  these  two,  the  old  Dutchman  always  had  a  kind  word 
and  a  merry  welcome  ;  and  Hop  and  he  were  wont 
to  smoke  many  a  pipe  together  in  the  mill-house,  and 
revel  of  winter  nights  over  many  a  steaming  and  savory 
whisky  stew,  for  both  loved  a  cup  over-well  for  their 
good.  After  the  mill-house  was  covered  over,  old  Von 
Tromp,  with  true  Dutch  providence,  fitted  off  a  nice  little 
room  atone  of  the  corners,  separated  from  the  main  room 
by  a  substantial  sealed  and  weather-boarded  partition,  built 
a  genuine  broad  and  capacious  Dutch  chimney  on  one  side 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  189 

of  it,  and  made  the  same  his  sleeping  apartment.  Here 
it  was  that  he  received  and  entertained  Hop,  and  being 
too  far  away  to  disturb  the  quiet  of  Mr.  Pomroy's  house- 
hold, they  would  spend  whole  nights  singing  and  drink- 
ing, never  seeming  to  care  a  groat  about  sleep;  for,  at 
the  first  dawn  of  light,  the  clatter  of  the  mill  was  heard 
always  to  break  the  stillness  of  the  early  morning,  whilst 
Hop,  at  the  same  time,  w^ould  mount  his  steed  and 
scamper  off  at  a  reckless  gait  towards  the  village  in  which 
he  dwelt. 

Things  went  on  in  this  way,  as  I  have  said,  for  nearly 
a  twelvemonth,  when,  one  morning  in  the  Christmas 
holidays,  the  family  waked  and  dressed  w^ithout  hearing 
any  stir  or  noise  at  the  mill-house,  and  when  breakfast 
came  in,  old  Von  Tromp  was  not  at  his  accustomed  place. 
As  he  was  famous  for  the  most  rigid  regularity  and  prompt- 
ness, these  two  circumstances  gave  Mr.  Pomroy  and  his 
family  some  considerable  uneasiness,  and  the  worthy 
gentleman  had  scarce  swallowed  more  than  half  of  his 
usual  allowance  before  he  took  his  hat  and  cane,  and 
hurried  off  to  find  what  was  the  matter  with  his  friend 
and  boarder.  Arriving  at  the  mill,  he  found  the  door  of 
the  honest  Dutchman's  little  apartment  wide  open,  the 
bed  tumbled  and  pressed  as  though  its  occupant  had 
passed  the  night  as  usual ;  but  no  sign  of  clothes  or  of 
old  Von  Tromp  was  to  be  seen  anywhere  about.  This 
seriously  alarmed  him,  and  the  worthy  host  began  to  re- 
trace his  steps  homeward,  with  a  view  to  procure  aid  and 
institute  a  more  extended  search.  He  had  reached  the 
doorway,  atid  was  in  the  act  of  stepping  forth,  when  his 
eye  fell  accidentally  upon  a  dark-looking  object  under- 
neath the  mill,  just  at  the  foot  of  the  race.     This  sug- 


190  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

gested  an  alarming  idea.  Immediately  above,  a  cavity 
had  been  left  in  the  floor,  of  a  size  fully  sufficient  for  a 
large  man  to  fall  through,  which  Hans  Von  Tromp  had 
arranged  on  purpose  that  he  might  always  witness  the 
first  dash  of  the  waters  as  they  rushed  from  the  gap 
against  the  fly-w^heel,  and  set  his  darling  machinery  in 
motion.  No  one  knew  better  than  Mr.  Pomroy  that  the 
honest  Dutchman  had  his  mood  of  melancholy,  or  the 
blues,  especially  when  deep  in  his  cups  ;  and  as  Hans 
had.  indulged  more  freely  than  usual  in  egg-nog  and 
whisky  stews  the  night  before,  Mr.  Pomroy  felt  a  most  awful 
conviction  run  through  his  brain.  He  descended,  and 
found  the  dark  object  to  be  what  he  had  already  antici- 
pated, the  familiar  broad-brimmed  hat  of  the  hapless  Von 
Tromp.  Where  now  was  the  owner?  Had  he  drowned 
himself?  These  were  solemn  questions,  and  the  worthy 
host  sadly  misgave  their  answers.  He  returned,  and  sum- 
moned two  negro  fellow^s  belonging  to  his  farm.  With 
these  he  dragged  the  race,  and  in  the  course  of  fifteen 
minutes  they  drew  forth  the  portly  carcass  of  the  old 
milhvright.  The  neighbors  w^ere  called  together,  and 
among  them  came  Hop  Hubbub,  the  only  intimate  com- 
panion of  the  deceased.  Hop  was  a  sadly  w'icked  fel- 
low, and  not  a  little  humorous  withal ;  and  when  he  cast 
his  roguish  eyes  upon  the  swelled  and  distorted  form  of 
his  ancient  comrade,  so  far  from  showing  the  least  tear- 
ful symptom  of  sorrow,  the  bystanders  were  taken  all 
aback  to  see  him  curl  his  lips  into  a  singular  sort  of 
smile,  peculiar  to  himself,  expressive  alike  of  droll  mirth 
and  lurking  mischief.  Tumbling  the  body 'to  and  fro, 
pressing  the  abdomen  and  bowels,  so  as  to  make  the 
water  inside  roar  and  gurgle  in  a  manner  the  most  shock- 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  191 

ing,  even  to  the  hardened  nerves  of  the  rough  sons  of 
Lick-the-skillet,  he  gave,  as  his  settled  opinion,  that  the 
fierce  old  trout  (as  he  called  Hans  always)  had  mustered 
up  an  extraordinary    supply  of  Dutch   courage,  whilst 

drunk  the  night  before,  had  doubtless  raised  the  d 1 

in  person  (which  he  solemnly  averred  every  German 
could  do  when  he  chose,  as  they  all  dealt  in  the  infernal 
sciences),  rashly  challenged  him  to  a  wrestling  match, 
and  that  Old  Nick  had  gone  off  conqueror.  In  proof  of 
these  wise  conclusions,  Hop  pointed  mysteriously  to  a 
blackened  appearance  about  the  throat  of  the  deceased, 
shook  his  head  ruefully,  and,  having  suddenly  exchanged 
his  smile  for  a  look  the  most  portentous  and  knowing, 
succeeded  in  impressing  his  opinion  on  the  minds  of  his 
simple  and  credulous  hearers.  The  next  thing  was  to 
bury  the  dead,  and  here  again  Hop  interfered.  He  de- 
clared that  he  had  often  heard  the  old  Dutchman  say,  in 
his  lifetime,  that,  in  case  he  died  whilst  at  Lick-the- 
skillet,  it  was  his  ardent  desire  to  be  interred  under  his 
mill-house ;  and  as  the  Old  Boy  had  now  carried  him  off 
before  his  time,  he  proposed  that  the  body  should  be  de- 
posited in  a  shallow  grave  at  the  foot  of  the  race,  where 
its  hapless  soul  had  been  wrested  from  it,  so  that,  in  case 
Hans  should  ever  get  a  little  respite  from  his  burning 
resting-place  below,  he  might  easily  find  the  way  back 
to  his  favorite  earthly  haunts.  Hop's  opinion  w^as  gospel 
authority  on  all  incidental  matters  at  Lick-the-skillet,  and 
as  there  was  no  good  reason  to  the  contrary,  his  sug- 
gestions were  promptly  adopted ;  and  honest  Hans  Von 
Tromp  was  decently  buried  on  the  spot  where  he  had 
yielded  up  his  life,  and  where  his  grave  might  be  forever 
freshened  by  the  spray  of  that  waterfall  whose  roar  had 


192  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

been  to  him  the  most  delightful  sound  on  earth.  His 
little  female  favorite  reverently  cherished  the  memory  of 
that  friendly  interest  and  regard  which  Hans  had  ever 
showed  for  her  during  life ;  and  now  that  he  was  gone, 
she  visited  his  grave,  over  which  she  strewed  the  violet 
and  wild  rose,  to  mingle  with  the  moss  and  grass  which 
carpeted  its  mound. 

Years  followed  after  years,  and  rolled  away,  and,  in 
the  mean  time,  whilst  Mr.  Pomroy  was  moulding  the  dol- 
lars by  old  Hans  Von  Tromp's  mill,  his  daughter  Sophro- 
nia,  or  Sophie,  as  she  was  called  by  the  neighbors,  had 
shot  up  into  a  nice,  buxom,  blooming  girl  of  seventeen. 
Confined  mostly  to  her  native  shaded  vale,  and  fanned 
only  by  the  cool  mountain  breeze,  her  complexion  was 
fairer  than  the  lily,  and  her  cheeks  as  red  as  the  roses 
which  blushed  from  amidst  her  mother's  rude,  but  taste- 
ful trellis- work.  She  was  a  wild,  wilful  romp  of  a  piece, 
and  threaded  the  winding  dells,  or  scaled  the  steep 
mountain  crags  like  any  lusty-legged  ploughboy  or  dare- 
devil huntsman.  There  was  no  controlling  her  inclina- 
tions. She  fished  whenever  or  wherever  she  pleased,  and 
with  anybody,  male  or  female,  just  as  she  chose ;  and 
it  took  a  strong  arm  and  stout  lungs  to  beat  her  in  a 
swimming-race  up  or  down  the  mill-pond.  Such  were 
her  primitive  habits  and  artless  demeanor  that  she  never 
refused  to  enter  into  a  contest  of  this  sort  with  any  beau 
or  rustic  suitor  who  might  be  paying  his  court  at  the 
shrine  of  her  beauty  ;  only  she  annexed,  as  an  inviolable 
stipulation,  that  her  competitor  should  lie  concealed  and 
blindfolded  until  she  had  covered  her  charms  beneath  the 
surface  of  the  green  waves  around,  and  maintain  a  re- 
spectful distance  during  the  race.     To  violate  either  of 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  193 

these  was  to  incur  Sophie's  lasting  displeasure,  and  the 
prompt  dismissal  of  the  offending  party.  But,  unlike  the 
racing  damsel  mentioned  in  classic  history,  she  exacted 
no  penalty  in  case  of  defeat,  and  promised  no  reward  to 
her  successful  competitor  beyond  a  simple  acknowledg- 
ment on  her  part  of  his  superior  prowess.  In  all  these 
w^anton  sports  and  wanderings,  Sophie  was  more  often 
accompanied  by  Dr.  Hop  Hubbub  than  any  one  else,  and 
it  was  generally  whispered,  in  consequence,  that  he  was 
to  become  finally  lord  of  that  beauty  and  those  charms 
which  ran  half  the  young  sparks  in  Lick-the-skillet 
almost  distracted  whenever  they  successively  engaged 
with  her  in  the  diversion  of  swimming  or  muscadine 
hunting.  Whenever  she  lifted  her  petticoats  to  keep 
from  wetting  them  whilst  wading  through  some  shallow 
mountain  brook,  in  her  rambling  excursions,  she  generally 
gave  Hop  the  preference  in  carrying  over  her  shoes  and 
stockings,  and  would  only  playfully  slap  at  him  when  he 
attempted  to  snatch  a  kiss  from  her  coral  lips,  or  ven- 
tured a  sly  caress  of  her  plump  but  soft  form.  But  it 
was  dangerous  for  another  gentleman  to  hazard  a  like 
experiment,  for  Sophie  never  hesitated  to  use  her  fishing- 
pole  or  riding-switch  vigorously  and  effectively,  when 
occasion  required.  In  the  merry  country  reel  or  exciting 
jig,  in  jumping  the  grape-vine,  or  playing  at  prisoner's 
base  of  moonlight  nights.  Hop  was  always  her  favorite 
partner ;  and  whether  these  manifest  and  continual  pre- 
ferences for  him  proceeded  from  their  mutual  recollections 
of  friendship  with  the  honest-hearted  old  Dutchman,  or 
from  a  softer  and  more  tender  feeling,  so  it  was  any  way; 
and  most  of  the  other  sighing  swains  called  off  their  dogs, 
17 


194  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

to  use  Lick-the-skillet  parlance,  and  quit  the  chase  in 
utter  despair  of  ever  being  in  at  the  death. 

But  the  crisis  of  Sophie's  rustic  life  was  approaching. 
In  the  neighborhood  of  her  father's  dwelling,  lived  a  sin- 
gular old  bachelor,  snug  in  his  means,  thrifty  and  parsi- 
monious in  habit,  exclusive  and  retiring  in  manner,  satis- 
fied with  himself,  and  envying  nobody.  Notwithstanding 
these  habits  of  life  and  peculiarities  of  temperament, 
so  entirely  different  from  his  own.  Hop  Hubbub  had 
caught  the  blind  side  of  this  singular  gentleman,  and 
they  were  regular  cronies  and  comrades.  In  fact.  Cap- 
tain Lafayette  Mantooth  had  succeeded  fully  old  Hans 
Von  Tromp  in  Hop's  friendship.  It  was  owing  entirely 
to  the  latter's  influence  and  popularity  that  the  captain 
had  succeeded  in  being  elected  over  all  other  candidates 
to  the  command  of  Lick-the-skillet  beat  company  of 
militia ;  and,  on  parade  days,  he  would  appear  on  the 
field  in  an  old  suit  of  threadbare  regimentals,  which  had 
belonged  to  the  old  corporal,  his  grandfather,  in  the  war 
of  Independence,  with  a  rusty  epaulette  stuck  on  his  right 
shoulder,  and  an  immense  dragoon  sword  swinging  at 
his  side.  Being  at  least  a  foot  taller  than  his  worthy 
ancestor,  the  captain  found  it  necessary  to  use  straps  to 
keep  his  breeches  down,  as  well  as  suspenders  to  keep 
them  up,  and,  for  this  purpose,  his  friend  Hubbub  had 
furnished  him  with  a  couple  of  red  morocco  strings, 
which  met  the  hem  of  his  pants  just  at  the  top  of  his 
boots ;  whilst  the  same  friendly  hand  had  surmounted 
the  captain's  military  hat  with  a  bunch  of  feathers  gath- 
ered from  a  cock's  tail,  and  ingeniously  tied  around  a 
limber  whalebone,  torn  from  some  cast-away  umbrella. 
Imagine   these    military  appliances  attached  to    a  tall, 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  195 

gangling,  long-limbed,  water-jointed  figure  of  a  man,  with 
long  bushy  red  hair  and  broad  projecting  teeth,  which  it 
was  his  habit  now  and  then  to  gnash  fiercely  and  with 
an  air  of  ludicrous  gravity,  and  you  will  have  a  perfect 
picture  of  Captain  Mantooth,  or,  as  he  himself  gloried  in 
being  called,  Captain  Marcus  Lafeart  Mantooth.  The 
captain  was  pertinacious  about  this  first  member,  and 
was  particularly  waspish  when  corrected  either  as  to 
that  or  to  the  pronunciation  of  the  second  part  of  his  be- 
loved name.  His  grandfather  and  father  had  called  him 
thus — the  first  ought  to  know,  he  contended,  as  he  had 
been  under  Lafayette — and,  so  fondly  did  he  cherish 
these  hereditary  and  ancestral  precedents  that  he  actu- 
ally turned  against  and  helped  to  defeat  a  sparkish, 
school-learned  young  candidate  for  the  legislature,  of  his 
own  political  party,  because  he  had  innocently  suggested 
that  the  captain  had  perverted  the  title  of  the  French 
Marquis  into  a  Roman  name.  Now,  all  of  a  sudden,  it 
was  discovered  that  the  captain's  usual  quiet  of  life  and 
equanimity  were  broken  in  upon  by  the  ravages  of  that 
glowing  and  exciting  passion  which  so  of\en  disturbs  the 
peace  of  mind  of  better  and  wiser  men  than  our  captain, 
and  as  often  changes  the  whole  tenor  and  habits  of  life. 
Captain  Mantooth  was  sorely  smitten  with  love,  and  his 
heart  ached  and  thumped  whenever  he  thought  of  sweet 
Sophie  Pomroy.  Not  a  day-dream  floated  through  his  , 
mind  but  Sophie  was  the  lovely  spirit  who  prompted 
it;  and,  at  night,  he  was  often  heard  to  glibber  and  snort 
while  fast  asleep,  and  seen  to  clasp  his  long  arms  con- 
vulsively around  an  extra  pillow,  as  some  tempting  vision 
lured  him  into  the  joyous  belief  that  the  lovely  damsel  was 
in  his  embraces.     How  this  came  about,  together  with  all 


196  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

the  concomitant  circumstances,  leaked  out  in  the  catas- 
trophe, and  it  devolves  on  me  now  to  relate. 

It  was  the  custom  of  Captain  Mantooth  to  carry  his 
own  grain  to  the  mill,  and  at  such  times  he  generally 
-went  by  a  path  which  crossed  the  stream  a  short  dis- 
tance below  the  dam,  and  which  was  rarely  ever  travel- 
ed by  any  one  but  himself.  It  was  a  shady,  secluded 
spot,  overhung  by  intertwining  branches,  and  sheltered 
all  day  long  from  the  rays  of  the  sun.  The  stream  spread 
out  into  a  wide,  shallow  current,  dashing  swiftly  and 
noisily  over  the  ledge  of  rocks  which  stretched  from  bank 
to  bank,  bubbling  with  innumerable  bright  ripples,  and 
dotted  here  and  there,  at  irregular  intervals  across,  with 
clusters  of  green  shrubs,  which  rendered  the  scene  one 
of  almost  Arcadian  beauty.  What  wonder,  then,  that  the 
lovely  Sophronia,  so  fond  of  such  primitive  indulgences, 
should  often  seek  this  romantic  spot,  and,  deeming  her- 
self safe  from  prying  eyes  and  unpleasant  intrusions, 
reveal  her  charms  ^'  unadorned"  to  the  mute  objects 
around,  and  lave  her  voluptuous  figure  in  the  limpid 
element  which  flowed  so  temptingly  along ! 

Now  it  happened  that  our  friend  Captain  Mantooth 
took  it  into  his  head  to  visit  the  mill  just  at  the  same 
hour,  one  warm  summer  day,  that  the  miller's  daughter 
took  it  into  her  head  to  go  a  bathing  at  the  secluded  ford. 
As  the  captain  had  his  regular  days  for  such  visits,  the 
charming  little  water-nymph  was  totally  unsuspicious, 
perhaps,  of  any  intention  on  his  part  to  make  an  out-of- 
the-way  call  at  her  father's  mill.  However,  she  had 
scarcely  disrobed  her  graceful  proportions,  on  the  pre- 
sent occasion,  and  was  seated  in  an  attitude  the  most 
inviting  and  distracting  in  the  world,  on  a  moss-clad 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  197 

rock,  about  midway  the  current,  preparing  to  take  the 
water,  when  our  friend,  the  captain,  mounted  on  his 
favorite  pony,  and  astride  his  bag  of  wheat,  rode  sud- 
denly and  slowly  up  on  the  opposite  bank.  The  bub- 
bling w^aters  prevented  Sophie  from  catching  any  other 
sound,  and  she  sat  as  if  totally  unconscious  that  mortal 
eye  was  feasting  on  those  charms  of  person  w^hich  might 
have  tempted  imperial  Jove  himself;  whilst  the  astonish- 
ed captain,  dumb-stricken  and  fairly  bewitched,  let  fall 
his  long  arms,  locked  his  feet  under  his  pony's  belly, 
drew  up  his  glowering  eyes,  opened  wide  his  ivory- 
fenced  mouth,  and  stared  at  the  rapturous  vision  so  long 
and  so  delightedly  that  a  cold  shiver  shook  every  limb  of 
his  lean,  lank  frame,  causing  a  rattle  of  dry  bones  much 
more  definable  than  that  which  stirred  up  the  skeletons 
of  old  in  the  vale  of  Jehoshaphat.  The  pony  went 
quietly  to  cropping  the  herbage  on  the  roadside. 

Hitherto  the  captain  had  been  afforded  only  a  side 
view,  a  full-length  profile  of  the  unclad  damsel ;  but 
scarcely  had  the  pony  bent  his  head  to  enjoy  the  pasture 
w^hich  tempted  him,  when,  as  if  tired  with  one  position, 
Sophie  began  to  face  about  slowly  ;  a  sunbeam,  penetrat- 
ing a  chance  opening  in  the  thick  foliage,  lighted  up 
with  lustrous  and  dazzling  transparency  a  neck  and 
bust  which  Venus  might  well  have  envied  ;  and  then  the 
whole  gorgeous  array  of  beauties,  indescribable,  unim- 
aginable, burst  upon  the  enraptured  vision  of  the  captain, 
who,  with  a  noise  more  like  the  groan  of  anguish  than 
the  sigh  of  excited  love,  fell  back  upon  his  pony's  rump, 
relaxed  and  motionless.  Never  before  had  woman  cross- 
ed his  path ;  never  had  mortal  eyes  been  feasted  to  the 

17* 


198  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

full  before  with  a  picture  which  art  vainly  endeavored  to 
portray ! 

No  wonder  Captain  Mantooth  was  overpowered  !  No 
w^onder  that  the  blood  now  hissed  and  foamed  through 
his  veins  with  a  fervor  that  kindled  in  his  usually  lan- 
guid bosom  new",  and  strange,  and  delightful  emotions! 
He  arose  from  that  posture  of  prostration  an  altered 
man.  He  looked  again  with  eager  and  glowing  eyes  ; 
but  the  vision  had  departed  ;  the  lovely  damsel  no  longer 
appeared  in  sight ;  a  current  of  blood  roared  fiercely 
through  his  brain  and  blinded  him  for  an  instant,  and 
then  all  seemed  as  if  he  had  been  in  a  delightful  dream. 

But  Captain  Mantooth  never  forgot  that  dream !  It 
had  assailed  his  senses  with  a  reality  too  overpowering, 
and  opened  a  train  of  emotions  far  too  strong  for  that ; 
and  he  resolved  to  devote  the  balance  of  his  life  to  the 
single  object  of  gaining  possession  of  those  charms  and 
their  fair  owner. 

Accordingly,  the  sun  was  just  beginning  to  sink  away 
over  thl2  lofty  mountain  top  on  the  west,  w^hen  who 
should  be  seen  riding  up  to  the  gate,  in  a  shambling 
trot,  his  long  legs  dangling  about  his  pony's  flanks,  and 
his  arms  propped  akimbo  on  either  side,  but  the  veritable 
captain  of  Lick-the-Skillet  beat.  And  who,  alighting 
without  ceremony  or  invitation,  walked  into  the  house  of 
the  honest  old  miller,  and  inquired  for  Miss  Sophie  in 
person,  as  he  was  received  by  Mrs.  Pomroy  ?  Sophie, 
industrious  and  smart  girl  that  she  w^as,  was  at  her  loom, 
and  Captain  Mantooth  was  asked  into  the  weaving-room. 
As  he  entered,  the  captain  encountered  another  familiar 
face  besides  that  of  Miss  Pomroy.  Hop  Hubbub  was 
there,  seated  on  a  high  warping-stool  by  the  damsel's 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  199 

side,  and  a  look  the  most  meaning  dwelt  on  his  features. 
The  namesake  of  the  great  marquis  was  startled  and 
not  a  little  floundered  ;  for  he  w^ould  sooner  have  fought 
a  battle  at  the  head  of  his  Lick-the-skillet  chivalry  any- 
day  than   suffered  Hop  to  get  a  laugh  on  him.     How- 
ever, as   there  was  no  mending  the  matter  now,  the 
worthy  captain  stuffed  away  the  dingy  ruffles  with  which 
he  had  hoped  to  captivate  the  miller's  daughter,  slipped 
off  nimbly  a  brass  ring  which  he  had  put  on  his   right 
forefinger  by  w^ay  of  additional   ornament,  cleared   his 
throat  with  a  lusty  exertion  of  lungs  which  jarred  the 
floor  under  him,  and  then,  catching  a  skirt  of  his  long- 
tail  Sunday  coat  across  each  crotch  of  his   elbow,  took 
his  seat  on  another  stool  opposite  to  Hop's,  first  blowing 
away  any  dust  which  might  have  gathered  on   it,  and 
running  his  hand  over  the  whole  seat  to  make  sure  of  a 
clean  sweep.     A  mischievous,  though  almost  impercep- 
tible, smile  lurked  on  the  mouth  of  the   pretty  weaver, 
and  she  turned  her  eyes  on  Hop,  now  and  then,  with  a 
glance   that  plainly  betrayed  her  strong  inclination  to 
mirth,    and    that    carried    sad    misgivings    and    uneasy 
thoughts  to  the  breast  of  Captain   Lafayette  Mantooth. 
He  had  come  to  declare  his  passion  and  to  woo  its  fair 
object ;  but  the  signs  were  against  him,  and   his  love 
seemed  likely  to  be  lavished  where  it  would   ipeet  with 
no  requital.     Poor  Lafayette  sighed  deeply  and  involun- 
tarily, and  Hop  contracted  the  muscles  of  his  face  still 
more  drolly,  and  Sophie   laughed  outright.     Neither  of 
the  three  had  yet  spoken  or  made  any  attempt  to  speak. 
Hop  sat  grave  as  a  judge,  and   the   captain   stared  at 
Sophie  with  open  mouth  and  eye  singularly  dilated;  and 
Sophie  herself  kept  busily  at  work  with  her  slaie   and 


200  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

treddles.  At  last,  Hop  fell,  or  at  least  pretended  to  fall, 
fast  asleep,  reclining  his  head  against  the  wall  of  the 
room  near  which  he  sat.  The  captain  drew  in  his  breath 
with  a  half  rattle  through  the  nostrils  as  the  air  passed 
on  to  the  lungs,  ventured  to  display  about  a  third  part  of 
his  ruffles,  and  advanced  one  leg  at  full  length.  Hop 
snored  slightly,  when  on  went  the  brass  ring  again,  and 
the  suitor  laid  his  hand  tremblingly  on  a  corner  of  the 
loom,  at  the  same  time  throwing  out  the  other  leg,  as  if 
to  draw  the  damsel's  eye  upon  his  fair  proportions  of 
bone  and  muscle,  for  of  flesh  the  captain  could  not  lay 
claim  to  five  pounds  from  head  to  foot,  through  his  full 
stretch  of  six  feet  and  a  half  of  manhood.  Now,  he 
thought,  was  his  opportunity  to  begin  a  conversation, 
and  he  drew  up  his  mouth  as  the  first  necessary  step 
towards  preparation. 

"  You  was  in  a-washing  at  my  ford  yesterday,  weren't 
you,  Sophie  ?"  he  asked  in  a  low  tone,  blearing  his  eyes, 
and  leering  most  hideously  at  his  fair  innamorata. 

"In  a-washing  at  your  ford  !"  repeated  Sophie,  inter- 
rogatively, and  turning  her  face  full  upon  her  questioner. 
"  How  do  you  know  whether  I  was  or  not,  Captain 
Mantooth?" 

"  Oh  !  I  didn't  say  I  knowed,  did  I,  Sophie  ?"  returned 
the  suitor,  throwing  his  eyes  up  and  down  alternately. 

"What  did  you  mean^  then.  Captain  Mantooth?" 
asked  the  maiden,  with  increased  emphasis.  "  What 
can  you  mean  ?" 

"  Nothing — nothing,  Sophie,"  replied  Lafayette,  fear- 
ing he  had  made  a  wrong  step  ;  "  I  jist  thought  I'd  ask 
you — was  you,  Sophie  ?" 

"  Upon  my  word,  Captain  Mantooth,  you  are  a  strange 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  201 

sort  of  creature — very  strange !"  said  Sophie,  striving 
hard  to  maintain  her  gravity  of  demeanor.  "  One  might 
have  thought  that  you  saw  me  from  the  way  you  talk." 

At  this,  the  captain  darted  bolt  upright  from  his  stool 
with  a  bound  that  a  person  might  make  w^ho  had  been 
jarred  by  an  electric  shock.  The  whole  enchanting 
scene  was  again  before  him,  and  the  blood  began  to  burn 
in  his  veins  and  mantle  on  his  cheeks.  But,  in  the 
midst  of  this  ecstasy  of  feeling,  Hop  indulged  another 
snore  somew^hat  louder  than  the  first,  and  the  captain 
eased  himself  on  the  seat  again,  thoroughly  cooled 
down  by  this  nasal  effort  of  his  dreaded  friend. 

"  Sophie,  what  if  I  had  seed  you  ?"  asked  Lafayette, 
after  he  had  again  composed  himself. 

"  Well,  and  suppose  you  had,  captain,  sure  enough, 
captain,"  returned  Sophie,  whilst  a  smile  curled  the 
corner  of  her  mouth  next  to  Hop,  "  you  would  only 
have  seen " 

"  What,  Sophie  ?"  ejaculated  the  excited  Lafayette, 
again  half  rising,  and  clapping  both  hands  in  his  pock- 
ets. 

"  Really,  Captain  Mantooth,  I  don't  know  what's  got 
into  you  this  evening,"  answered  the  maiden,  coloring 
slightly. 

"  It  didn't  get  into  me  this  evening,  Sophie,"  said* 
the  captain,  wdth  a  look  half  mournful  ;  "  it  got  into  me 
yesterday,  about  noon,  and  for  the  first  time  in  my  life, 
too." 

"  What  ?"  asked  Sophie,  now  in  her  turn  fairly 
launched  into  a  mischievous  inclination,  '*  what  got 
into  you,  captain  ?" 

*' I  don't  know  what  to  call  it,  Sophie,"   answered 


202  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

Lafayette,  in  the  same  tone  of  voice,  **  but  it's  the  sin- 
gularest  feeling  that  ever  I  had  in  the  whole  course  of 
my  life." 

"  How,  in  the  world's  name,  does  it  make  you  feel, 
then  ?"  again  asked  Sophie,  stealing  a  roguish  glance 
towards  Hop,  who  w^as  still  nodding  and  dipping  his 
head  from  side  to  side. 

"  Every  which  w^ay — a  sort  o'  all-overish — but  the 
best  in  the  w^hole  world  at  times,  Sophie  !"  answered 
the  captain,  with  a  leer  which  was  intended  to  convey 
what  he  yet  scarcely  dared  to  say. 

"Why  really,  captain,  I  shall  begin  to  think  present- 
ly that  you  are  in  love,"  said  the  lady,  with  a  coquettish 
toss  of  the  head. 

"  Is  that  the  way  love  serves  a  body,  Sophie?"  asked 
Lafayette,  with  a  snuffling  simper,  as  he  drew  a  little 
nearer. 

"  You'll  have  to  ask  them  that's  felt  it,"  replied 
Sophie,  with  an  arch,  insinuating  smile.  "  But,  there ! 
you've  made  me  drop  my  shuttle  with  your  silly  talk- 
ing!" 

The  instrument  alluded  to  had  only  fallen  about  half 
way  to  the  floor,  and  hung  suspended  by  the  thread, 
which  had  caught  in  a  splinter.  The  pretty  w^eaver  bent 
over  slightly  to  regain  it,  and  as  it  had  slipped  out  on 
the  side  next  to  the  captain,  she  stooped  far  enough 
almost  to  touch  him.  The  captain's  eyes  w^ere  just  in 
the  line  of  direction  with  Sophie's  stomacher,  and  he  ven- 
tured a  slight  peep  at  the  concealed  treasures ;  the  next 
momentjhe  dodged  back  as  if  hehad  been  suddenly  struck 
at,  and  brought  his  teeth  in  contact  with  a  crash  like  that  of 
a  nut-cracker.     Again  his  blood  quickened  with  a  deli- 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  *  203 

cious  fervor,  and,  unable  longer  to  resist  or  subdue  the 
impulse,  he  had  already  stretched  forth  his  lank  arm, 
and  was  just  in  the  act  of  grasj^ing  Sophie's  white,  bare 
arm,  when  a  thundering  discharge  from  Hop's  nasal 
artillery  arrested  his  amorous  purpose,  and  sent  the  blood 
back  again  to  the  heart  with  a  cold,  curdling  sensation 
that  made  his  teeth  now  fairly  chatter,  as  he  drew  up 
once  more  on  the  stool.  The  noise  seemed  also  to  have 
aroused  the  sleeper  himself,  for  Hop  now  stretched  and 
gave  a  loud  yawn,  straightened  in  his  seat,  and  looked  at 
the  captain  and  Sophie  as  though  he  had  just  awakened 
from  a  comfortable  and  refreshing  nap. 

*^  Heigh  !  thunder  and  Boston  !"  he  ejaculated,  in  his 
sharp,  sonorous  voice,  glancing  at  the  agitated  lover, 
**  why,  what  the  deuce  is  the  matter  with  you,  ray  dear 
Mantooth  ?" 

"  I  don't  know,  unless  it  be  a  slight  ague,"  answered 
the  captain,  still  shaking  in  every  limb.  ''  It'll  wear  off 
directly,  though." 

**  I'm  not  so  sure  of  that,"  said  Hop,  rising  and 
approaching  his  friend. 

"  I've  been  thinkinor  that  something:  strancfe  was  the 
matter  with  Captain  Mantooth  for  this  half  hour  past," 
now  put  in  Miss  Sophie,  winking  at  Hop,  slyly. 

"  I  suspect,"  said  this  last-named  gentleman,  assum- 
ing a  very  grave  professional  look  as  he  pinched  the 
captain's  spine  and  chunked  him  slightly  in  the  paunch, 
**  I  suspect,  Mantooth,  you've  got  the  whiffles^ 

"  The  whiffles  /"  repeated  Captain  Mantooth,  inquisi- 
tively, as  he  flinched  and  slid  about  under  the  doctor's 
rather  singular  examination,  being  most  sadly  alarmed, 


204  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

too,  by  the  grave  announcement,  "  what  may  them  be, 
Hop?" 

**They  are  the  very  mischief  when  they  once  get  a  fair 
hold  on  a  fellow,"  answered  Hop,  shifting  his  point  of 
examination  to  the  groins  and  kidneys  of  his  shrinking 
friend.  *^  They'll  ruin  you  for  life,  Mantooth,  unless 
speedily  cured." 

**How  can  they  be  cured,  doc?"  again  asked  the 
captain,  for  he  had  the  most  unshakeable  faith  in 
Hop's  skill  and  knowledge,  and  really  felt  somewhat 
uneasy  at  his  symptoms  for  the  last  twenty- four  hours. 
^'  I'll  tak6  anything  if  you  really  think  they  are  on  me, 
Hop,  for  I  wouldn't  be  ruined  now"  for  the  whole  w^orld." 

"Oh!  as  to  that,"  replied  Hop,  carelessly,  *^you 
won't  have  to  take  a  single  thing.  The  whiffles  are 
cured  in  quite  another  way." 

The  captain's  heart  fluttered  and  sank  as  he  heard 
this ;  for  he  had  been  often  enough  at  his  friend's  shop 
in  tow^n  to  hear  all  about  surgery  and  amputation,  and 
various  operations  with  the  knife  and  tourniquet. 

"And  how  may  that  be,  doc?"  asked  the  quaking 
lover,  feeling  his  blood  congeal  at  the  bare  idea  of  a 
surgical  operation. 

"  That's  a  secret  for  the  present,"  answered  the 
imperturbable  Hop,  observing  that  the  loom  had  ceased 
its  motion,  and  that  the  merry  little  weaver  was  almost 
smothering  with  the  desire  to  laugh,  which,  by  the  by, 
as  the  reader  will  soon  find  out.  Hop  by  no  means  wished 
her  to  do  for  fear  of  offending  the  gaptain.  "I'll  tell 
you  the  whole  matter  when  we  get  to  your  house.  Come, 
get  your  hat  and  let's  be  off;  you  surely  didn't  intend 
to  stay  here  all  night !" 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  •      205 

"  Such  had  been  my  intention,  Hop,"  answered  the 
precise  captain,  who  was  too  good  a  churchman  to  pre- 
varicate, although  he  hated  badly  to  confess  as  much  ; 
*'  but,  if  you'll  go  home  with  me,  I  shall  be  more  than 
glad  of  your  company." 

This  was  soon  settled,  and  the  two  friends  proceeded 
to  bid  farewell  to  the  charming  little  weaver,  who  did 
not  forget  to  invite  Captain  Mantooth  to  repeat  his  visit, 
which  elicited  a  low  bow  and  an  affirmative  answer  from 
that  worthy  gentleman. 

A  month  had  scarcely  elapsed  from  the  period  of  this 
first  visit  before  the  w^hole  neighborhood  of  Lick-the- 
skillet  was  startled  with  a  report  that  the  pretty  and 
admired  daughter  of  Mr.  Peter  Pomroy  was  about  to  con- 
tract matrimonial  ties  with  Captain  Lafayette  Mantooth. 
What  added  a  great  deal  to  the  surprise  of  everybody, 
too,  was  the  very  curious  fact  that  Hop  Hubbub,  whom 
every  one  had  pitched  upon  for  the  husband  of  the  fair 
Sophronia,  and  who  was  known  to  be  high  in  the  affec- 
tions of  that  little  lady,  was  now  openly  advocating  Cap- 
tain Mantooth's  pretensions,  and  telling  all  the  neigh- 
bors frankly  that  he  had  first  put  the  enraptured  captain 
(to  use  his  own  expression)  on  the  scent.  From  this 
point,  matters  progressed  so  rapidly  that  the  wedding 
day  was  soon  named;  the» captain  and  his  affianced  bride 
rode  always  in  public  together  most  lovingly  and  fami- 
Irarly,  and,  at  last,  a  runner  was  sent  round  to  invite 
the  favored  neighbors  to  the  hymeneal  feast  and  frolic. 

Now,  lest  the  conduct  of  our  friend  Hop  should  be 
misunderstood  about  this  affair,  and  undue  praise  unwit- 
tingly lavished  upon  what  may  be  mistaken  for  genuine 
magnanimity,  I  must  here  narrate  what  has  been  subse- 
18 


206  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

qnently  whispered  about  among  the  gossips  of  Lick-the- 
skillet,  in  order  to  account  for  this  inexplicable  inter- 
ference, on  his   part,  to  urge   the   captain's    suit    to    a 
successful  issue.     Hop  loved  candor  in  every  depart- 
ment of  life  except  one,  and  now  that  he  is  dead  and 
gone,  I   am  sure  he  will  prefer,  provided  he  has   any 
choice  in  the  matter  where  he  now  is,  that  his  faithful 
biographer  shall  remove  the  veil  even  from  that.    Every- 
body about  Lick-the-skillet  knew  that  Hop  was  overly 
fond  of  the  girls,  and,  as  he   had   a  big    heart  and  a 
general  penchant  in  this  respect,  he  never  concealed  that 
he  was  averse  to  marriage.     In  fact,  he  was  often  heard 
to   declare,  in  his  own  humorous  way,  that  he  feared 
but  two  things  in  the  w^orld,  viz.,  a  hurricane  and  a  mad 
woman  ;  and  gave,  among  others,  as  his  reason  for  living 
a  bachelor  life,  that  he  dreaded,  in  case  he  had  a  wife,  he 
might  meet  a  girl  he  could  love  better,  and  that  he  would 
sooner  stir  up  the  d — 1,  any  day,  than  a  jealous  woman. 
Hop,  now,  had  been  loving  little  Sophie  Pomroy  a  longtime, 
ever  since  old  Hans  Von  Tromp's  melancholy  decease  ; 
and,  after  she  had  blossomed  into  ripe  womanhood,  and 
given  evidence  of  those  charming  rustic  accomplishments 
which  soon  drew  to  her  general  admiration,  his  passion 
gave  him  serious  annoyance.     Sophie  soon  showed  that 
he  was  not  disagreeable  to  her  ;  and  when,  one  day.  Hop 
seized  her  around  the  waist  just  after  a  swimming  race 
in  which  she  had  triumphed,  and  began  to  kiss  her  neck 
and   lips   with    more   than   usual    ardor,    she    artlessly 
indulged   a  reciprocal  tenderness,  declaring  she  loved 
him  better  than  anything  on  earth,  and  dearly  enough 
to  become  his  for  life.     The  first  part  of  this  declaration 
pleased  and  delighted  Hop,  but  the  second  did  not  sound 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  207 

SO  agreeable.  He  feared  that  she  might  make  matrimony 
indispensable  to  the  fulfilment  of  his  wishes,  and  in  this 
he  was  seriously  resolved  not  to  engage.  A  year  passed 
away,  and  Hop  became  convinced  that  Sophie  had 
settled  on  making  this  the  price  of  her  possession.  She 
would  allow  him  any  degree  of  familiarity,  and  gratify  her 
own  love  by  taking  full  liberty  with  him  in  turn,  yet  fur- 
ther than  this  she  w^ould  not  consent  to  go,  and  strenuous- 
ly repulsed  every  attempt  which  Hop  ventured  to  make. 
She  w^ould  ride  and  ramble  with  him,  fish  w4th  him, 
swim  with  him  unreservedly,  and  go  a  bathing  with  him 
iathe  same  limpid  and  transparent  pools  ;  but  there  she 
stopped.  She  professed  to  feel,  but  steadily  refused  to 
grant  his  desires  ;  and  Hop  at  last  got  to  believe  her. 

This  proved  a  vexatious  point,  and  often  disturbed 
their  intimacy  for  months  at  a  time  ;  but  all  of  a  sudden 
a  perfectly  agreeable  understanding  was  arranged  be- 
tween them. 

Now,  whether  Sophie's  adventure  with  Captain  Man- 
tooth  at  the  secluded  ford  was  the  result  of  pure  accident, 
or  of  a  compact  with  Hop  to  that  effect,  the  reader  must 
conjecture  from  the  facts  and  from  the  sequel.  But  cer- 
tain it  is  that  Hop  was  soon  acquainted  with  the  whole 
affair,  and,  truly  guessing  that  the  captain  had  been  too 
deeply  smitten  to  delay  making  his  addresses  longer  than 
he  could  compose  himself,  had  taken  up  his  abode  at 
Mr.  Pomroy's  to  witness  the  whole  future  progress  of  the 
plan,  and  was,  therefore,  fully  prepared  not  only  to  see 
his  fun,  but  also  to  perfect  his  designs,  when  his  simple- 
minded  friend  rode  up  as  described.  What  these  designs 
were,  the  courteous  reader  must  divine  from  what  I  shall 
now  proceed  to  relate. 


208  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

Like  most  uneducated  and  secluded  people,  many  of  the 
good  citizens  about  Lick-the-skillet  were  tinctured  with 
strong  tendencies  to  the  marvelous  and  supernatural. 
The  wild  and  mountainous  character  of  the  country  was 
eminently  calculated  to  beget  and  nurture  superstitious 
impressions.  The  dark  winding  glens,  the  unfathomed 
precipices,  the  unexplored  caverns  which  now  and  then 
were  discovered  in  the  bed  of  the  mountains,  the  dashing 
torrents  and  unfelled  forests  around,  all  contributed  to 
produce  such  feelings.  It  will  not,  therefore,  be  w^ondered 
at  that  the  mysterious  and  melancholy  fate  which  had 
overtaken  old  Hans  Von  Tromp  should  have  been  the 
source  of  numerous  awful  stories  in  the  neighborhood  ;  and 
that  as  time  wore  on  these  stories  had  gained  firmer  hold 
on  the  imagination  of  those  who  heard  or  narrated  them. 

The  mill  had  never  been  tenanted  since  the  death  of 
its  builder,  for,  as  Pomroy  had  negro  fellows  to  aid  him 
in  sawing  and  grinding,  he  had  no  occasion  to  hire  white 
men,  who  would,  in  such  a  case,  have  been  forced  to  sleep 
in  Hans  Von  Tromp's  apartment,  the  owner's  dwelling 
having  but  two  rooms  and  a  garret.  The  head  negro 
was  thoroughly  the  victim  of  superstitious  fears,  and 
on  his  authority  principally  some  of  the  most  awful  tales 
were  told  about,  in  connection  witli  the  mill.  It  was 
reported  that  the  black,  being  detained  on  a  certain  night 
much  later  than  usual  at  the  mill,  had  been  surprised  by 
the  sudden  entrance  of  a  tall  and  large  man,  black  like 
himself,  with  two  small  fireballs  for  eyes,  and,  instead  of 
teeth  of  the  usual  kind,  immense  fangs  of  red  hot  iron 
supplied  their  place  in  his  mouth.  He  proceeded  straight 
to  the  old  Dutchman's  sleeping  room,  and  entering  with- 
out ceremony,  his  voice  and  old  Von  Tromp's  were  soon 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  209 

heard  at  a  high  pitch,  and  seemingly  engaged  in  a  most 
ferocious  quarrel.  A  noise  of  scuffling  and  stamping  was 
heard  next,  and  presently  afterward  the  door  of  Hans' 
room  flew  wide  open,  whilst  he  and  the  black  giant, 
locked  in  a  deadly  embrace,  came  whirling  and  wrestling 
through  the  mill-house,  first  one  falling  and  then  the 
other.  As  they  approached  the  cavity  near  the  fly-wheel, 
and  through  which  it  was  the  honest  old  millwright's 
joy  and  delight  to  watch  its  steady  revolutions,  Hans 
began  to  pull  back  and  struggle  more  fiercely,  and  his 
hair  rose  erect  on  his  head  from  excessive  fright.  The 
black  man,  however,  urged  him  vigorously  forward  with 
a  most  unearthly  grin  ;  they  came  to  its  very  edge,  and 
Hans  had  only  time  to  exclaim,  in  a  voice  of  despair, 
"  Dish  wash  no  pard  of  der  bargain,  goot  mynheer  teu- 
fell!"  before  both  went  through  together,  the  black  on 
top,  and  then  nothing  more  was  ever  seen  of  either. 

Another  version  was  that  an  old  man  who  had  come 
to  the  mill  late  one  evening  to  get  his  employer's  flour, 
being  rather  sleepy-headed,  had  fallen  into  a  deep  slum- 
ber in  a  dark  corner  of  the  room ;  and  no  one  supposing 
but  that  he  had  gone  back  home,  the  millers  all  left  for  the 
night,  locking  him  unfortunately  in,  to  take  his  chances 
with  the  goblins  and  devils  who  were  supposed  to  infest 
the  house.  He  slept  on  very  quietly  until  a  Uttle  before 
midnight,  when,  all  of  a  sudden,  he  w^as  awakened  by 
the  sound  of  heavy  footsteps,  sounding  over  the  floor 
towards  the  bolting-trough.  An  immense  black  figure 
strode  past  him,  exhaling  a  strong  scent  of  brim- 
stone, which  left  no  room  to  doubt  that  it  w^as  the  de- 
vil. He  entered  old  Von  Tromp's  room,  who  greeted 
him  with  a  scornful  guttural  grunt  as  he  opened  the  door, 

18* 


210  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

Immediately  the  noise  of  a  struggle  was  heard,  and 
fierce  imprecations  were  uttered  by  both  parties;  and 
then  a  crash  followed,  which  seemed  to  jar  the  mill  to 
its  deepest  foundations,  at  the  same  time  that  a  terrible 
splash  was  heard  in  the  waters  of  the  race  underneath. 

These  wild  stories,  and  many  others  of  a  like  marvel- 
ous character,  w^ere  afloat  through  the  whole  district  of 
Lick-the-skillet,  and  no  one  believed  them  more  devoutly 
and  unqualifiedly,  as  it  happened,  than  Captain  Lafayette 
Mantooth.  Hop  Hubbub  was  well  aware  of  this  infirm- 
ity of  the  captain,  and  he  resolved  to  play  off  upon  his 
credulous  friend,  on  the  night  of  his  marriage,  a  most  cruel 
and  wicked  prank. 

It  has  been  mentioned  that  Mr.  Pomroy's  house  afforded 
not  a  single  spare  bed-room,  and,  as  Hop  very  naturally 
concluded  that  they  would  be  compelled  to  make  use  of  old 
Hans  Von  Tromp's  snug  little  apartment  in  the  mill  for 
a  nuptial  chamber,  he  determined  to  oust  the  unfortunate 
bridegroom  of  his  promised  bridal  enjoyments,  if  person- 
ating the  devil  and  the  Dutchman  could  do  it.  With 
this  view  he  had  to  enlist  the  services  of  a  boon  com- 
panion in  mischief,  hardly  less  known  through  Lick-the- 
skillet  than  himself.  But,  as  Mr.  Josiah  Morehead  was 
a  merchant  in  full  business,  besides  being  a  noted  sports- 
man, and,  in  consequence,  often  called  from  home  on  long 
journeys,  he  was  not  a  very  frequent  visitor  at  this  favor- 
ite haunt  of  his  friend  Hop,  and  had  not  been  there  for 
years  when  called  to  go  down  upon  this  occasion.  Joe 
had  a  long  head  and  a  most  inventive  genius.  He  had 
even  been  known  to  outwit  Hop  himself  on  several  oc- 
casions, which  caused  many  to  wonder  afterwards  why 
the  latter  should  have  employed  him  on  that  in  question. 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  211 

He  was  handsome  and  more  dressy  than  Hop,  and  was 
always  enabled  thus  to  run  ahead  in  the  good  graces  of 
the  tender  sex. 

The  wedding-day  came,  and  the  invited  guests  set 
busily  about  preparing  to  lend  their  friendly  aid  in  making 
way  with  the  substantial  viands  which  they  knew  Mrs. 
Pomroy  had  furnished  for  the  occasion.  A  solemn  fast 
was  held  during  the  entire  day,  that  they  might  not  destroy 
or  impair  the  tone  of  their  eager  appetites;  and  in  honor 
of  the  event  Mr.  Pomroy  closed  his  mill  until  the  next 
morning,  which  enabled  him  to  devote  his  whole  time  in 
arranging  for  the  festivity.  About  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon,  Hop  Hubbub  and  his  friend  Morehead,  being 
both  engaged  to  wait  on  the  impatient  bridegroom,  rode 
up  to  announce  the  captain's  readiness  for  the  event, 
saying  that  he  had  been  washed  and  dressed  ever  since 
noon.  The  fair  bride  was,  however,  still  engaged  at  the 
cake  bowls,  and  received  the  two  groomsmen  in  the  supper 
room  in  her  ordinary  tidy  attire,  with  her  sleeves  tucked 
up  considerably  above  the  elbow,  and  her  frock  and  petti- 
coats drawn  half  way  to  the  knee  ;  whilst  her  pretty  face 
was  all  in  a  flush  from  excitement  and  fatigue.  Such 
was  the  fascination  of  her  looks  and  manner,  such  the 
striking  development  of  her  voluptuous  figure  thus  attired, 
that  Joe  Morehead,  frail  creature  that  he  was,  fell  into  an 
ecstasy  of  admiration  at  first  sight,  and,  as  he  had  known 
her  when  a  child,  and  was  her  father's  intimate  friend 
and  merchant,  the  charming  Sophie  was  forced  to  allow 
him  a  hearty  salute  of  her  sweet  lips  ;  and,  it  may  as 
well  be  added,  that,  improving  by  the  rule  of  taking  an 
inch  where  an  ell  has  been  granted,  Joe  could  not  resist 
the  temptation  to  press  to  his  bosom  her  soft  and  glowing 


212  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

form.  Such  tokens  of  warm  admiration  from  this  fine  and 
handsome  gentleman  so  pleased  the  bride  elect  that  she 
betrayed  her  joy  by  a  scarlet  blush,  which,  as  may  be 
imagined,  Joe  by  no  means  failed  to  notice  particularly  ; 
and  when,  after  a  minute  or  two.  Hop  stepped  out 
to  see  the  old  folks,  he  availed  himself  of  the  opportu- 
nity to  repeat,  far  more  w^armly,  the  same  delightful  feats 
of  gallantry  and  devotion,  which  thoroughly  enraptured 
the  susceptible  young  creature  to  whom  he  had  already 
imparted  a  share  of  his  glowing  passion. 

Look  out.  Hop — that  thou  hast  not  a  cuckoo's  egg  in 
thy  nest,  and  trusted  thy  secret  to  wily  hands ! 

The  hour  approached,  and  a  whole  troop  of  neighbors, 
all  in  their  Sunday  clothes,  and  rigged  out  in  all  the«finery 
they  could  scrape  up  by  hook  or  by  crook,  already  filled 
the  parlor  of  the  miller's  house,  anxiously  awaiting  the 
appearance  of  the  wedding  folks,  as  they  called  the  bride 
and  her  groom.  The  parson  who  was  to  join  them  as 
man  and  wife  had  arrived ;  the  old  folks  had  come  in  and 
taken  their  seats ;  and  as,  now  and  then,  a  fragrant  scent 
from  the  luscious  viands  in  the  next  room  would  flavor 
the  passing  breath  of  wind,  and  draw  the  salivary  fluids 
to  a  hundred  craving  mouths,  the  whole  company  would 
simultaneously  ejaculate  a  wish  that  the  young  people 
would  come  along  and  have  it  over  at  once. 

At  length  they  were  gratified;  the  bridal  party  appeared, 
attended  by  half  a  dozen  couples  of  groomsmen  and  ladies 
in  waiting,  and  the  ceremony  was  commenced.  All  eyes 
were  turned  to  catch  a  last  glimpse  of  the  belle  of  Lick- 
the-skillet,  ere  she  changed  her  lot  in  life.  ^'  Ah,  Sophie!" 
every  one  thought,  "  no  more  wild  romping  and  swimming 
with  thy  admirers  now!"     Sophie  never  looked  prettier 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  213 

in  all  her  life.  She  was  dressed  with  no  pretensions  to 
the  fashion  of  the  day;  but,  if  there  w^as  none  of  this,  its 
absence  w^as  more  than  compensated  in  those  round, 
naked  arms,  that  soft  neck,  and  the  glowing  bust  which 
w^as  only  half  concealed  by  her  low  stomacher. 

But  ah  !  how  shall  I  describe  thee,  happy,  thrice  happy 
Lafayette  Mantooth — thou  w^orthy  representative  of  all  the 
pride  and  chivalry  of  thy  native  Lick-the-skillet !  Deeply 
impressed,  like  a  sincere  Christian  ought  to  have  been, 
with  the  importance  and  solemnity  of  the  occasion,  the 
captain  approached  to  the  centre  of  the  room  with  slow^, 
measured  step,  eyes  half  closed,  head  thrown  slightly 
back,  and  w4th  a  countenance  of  w^oe  and  sanctimony 
that  would  have  done  no  discredit  to  Job  in  the  darkest 
hour  of  his  affliction.  He  looked  as  though  he  had  come 
to  bury  Sophie,  not  to  wed  her  ;  but  the  captain  had  good 
reason  for  this  unseasonable  tristfulness  of  demeanor.  He 
had  pondered  the  matter  well  over,  and  had  brought 
his  mind  to  conclude  that,  heathen  as  he  was,  he  w^as 
entering  into  the  holy  estate  of  matrimony,  not  by  God's 
appointment  as  he  should  do,  but  in  unworthy  obedience 
to  carnal  weakness  and  desires.  These,  it  is  true,  were 
uncontrollable  and  irrepressible,  but  by  way  of  full  pen- 
ance the  captain  felt  it  to  be  his  duty  to  approach  the 
altar  devotionally  and  meekly  ;  and  although  he  strictly 
fulfilled  this  vow  in  mind  and  to  outward  appearance,  yet 
Sophie  w^as,  once  or  twice,  in  their  passage  to  the  wedding 
apartment,  forced  to  cry  out  softly  for  quarter,  as  the  eager 
groom  w^ould  involuntarily  press  and  squeeze  her  tender 
arm  betwixt  his  sharp,  projecting  ribs,  and  the  pointed 
elbow  in  whose  capacious  crotch  that  pretty  limb  was 
resting. 


214  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

The  captain's  wedding  apparel  eminently  became  his 
lank,  ungainly  figure.  It  consisted,  first,  of  a  blue  broad- 
cloth coat  with  brass  buttons,  with  an  immense  collar 
reaching  almost  to  the  crown  of  his  flat  head,  and  falling 
gradually  as  it  met  the  lapel ;  the  point  of  conjunction 
being  marked  by  two  huge  intersecting  flaps,  shaped  like 
dogs'  ears,  and  standing  out  prominently  on  either  side. 
The  waist  of  the  coat  had  out-traveled  his  own  by  at  least 
half  of  a  foot,  and  the  skirts  dangled  quite  gracefully  below 
the  knee  as  the  w^earer  stalked  along ;  whilst  the  loose 
breeches  bagged  and  flapped  around  his  diminutive  legs 
with  a  motion  not  unlike  that  of  the  elephant's  ears  as  he 
marches  leisurely  around  the  ring.  His  chin  was  propped 
by  a  high  stifi"  stock,  which  fitted  so  closely  around  his 
neck  that,  what  with  this  and  the  starched  shirt  collar 
which  covered  the  whole  lower  portion  of  his  face,  the 
captain  was  scarcely  enabled  to  move  his  head  without 
carrying  around  his  whole  body ;  and  to  complete  the 
picture,  his  feet  were  supplied  with  a  pair  of  stout-soled 
high  quarter  shoes,  selected  and  brought  out  by  Joe  More- 
head,  which  creaked  forth  delightful  music  by  way  of 
heralding  his  martial  steps. 

Now,  the  old  preacher,  whose  jolly,  rubicund  face  had 
been  nothing  but  a  convexity  of  bland  expectant  smiles 
all  along  (doubtless  in  anticipation  of  the  good  cheer  and 
handsome  fee  which  awaited  him),  no  sooner  caught  sight 
of  the  sanctimonious  and  rueful  expression  of  the  worthy 
groom,  for  whose  piety  and  snug  property  he  had  all 
imaginable  respect,  than  he  also  drew  down  his  features 
to  a  genuine  religious  length,  drooped  his  eyes,  and  as- 
sumed at  once  a  becoming  gravity  of  manner.  He  began 
the  ceremony  in  a  hoarse,  bull-frog  sort  of  drawl,  that 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  215 

had  nearly  discomposed  the  fair  bride  and  her  two  mis- 
chievous friends  at  the  very  outset  ;  whilst  it  so  deeply 
impressed  the  captain  that  he  gave  a  long,  deep,  peni- 
tential sigh  by  way  of  response.     The  answ^ersof  the  fair 
bride  were  made  in  such  subdued  whispers  that  they  were 
scarcely  audible  to  those  who  stood  around,  and  when 
interrogated  to  know  whether,  forsaking  all  others,  she 
would  cling  only  to  him  who  was  now  to  become  her  lord, 
Sophie  responded  so  indistinctly,  and  with  such  an  arch 
expression  of  eyes  and  mouth,  that  none  w^ere  able  to 
determine  clearly  whether  she  had  said  yes  or  no.     The 
preacher,  however,  was  not  the  man  to  balk  at  ceremony 
on  this  point,  and,  presuming  an  affirmative  where  nothing 
warranted  a  negative,  he  proceeded  to  put  the  same  ques- 
tion to  Captain  Mantooth.    This  time,  however,  the  worthy 
parson  put  on  rather  a  more  demure  face,  assumed  a 
more  affected  and  drawling   tone  of  voice,  and  dwelt 
tremblingly  and  lingeringly  upon  each  w^ord  as  it  fell  from 
his  lips.     The  captain  all  along  had  attributed  Sophie's 
low,  indistinct  mutterings  to  that  amiable  and  becoming 
diffidence  so  common  and  so  very  natural  under  the  cir- 
cumstances, and  now  that  his  turn  had  come  to  promise, 
solemnly,  that  he  would  love,  honor,  and  protect  her  as 
his  wedded  wife,  and  cling  to  her  only  of  all  women  on 
earth,  he  resolved,  by   a  master-stroke,  to  inspire    and 
reassure  her  with  a  portion  of  his  own  honest  confidence 
and  mental  tranquillity.    To  this  end  he  elevated  his  head 
an  inch  or  two  above  the  level  of  his  stock,  swayed  his 
back  slightly,  closed  his  eyes  altogether,  and  responded 
in  the  same  tone  as  the  preacher's,  ''  I  will,  Brother  Dip- 
well,  the  Lord  being  my  helper!" 

As  the  captain  uttered  these  words  at  full  prayer  pitch, 


216  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

and  just  exactly  in  the  attitude  which  I  have  described, 
the  effect  produced  on  the  auditors  was  instantaneous, 
though  quite  various.  The  preacher  involuntarily  opened 
his  eyes,  as  though  taken  by  surprise  ;  the  old  Baptist 
men  and  women  present  simultaneously  sealed  the  pro- 
mise with  a  fervent  amen  ;  some  of  the  young  folks  tittered, 
and  others  giggled  outright.  But  Hop  !  He  would  not 
have  taken  the  profits  of  a  year's  practice  for  the  scene — 
and  it  would  have  done  one  good  to  have  seen  how,  with 
a  dexterity  peculiar  to  himself,  he  threw  up  the  corners 
of  his  eyes  Chinese  fashion,  and  how  quizzically  he 
puckered  his  mouth — though  he  did  not  so  much  as 
crack  a  smile.  Not  so  with  the  merry-hearted  and  less 
stoical  bride  !  She  fell,  for  support,  full  against  the  lank, 
hollow  side  of  her  newly-made  lord  (who  could  scarcely 
contain  himself  for  rapture  under  the  sweet  burden),  and 
gave  vent  to  her  feelings  by  a  flow  of  uncontainable, 
though  subdued  laughter  ;  whilst  the  muscles  of  Joe 
Morehead's  mouth  and  nose  began  to  twitter  and  jump 
at  a  most  frolicksome  rate,  which  was  a  way  that  worthy 
had  of  expressing  his  diversion  and  merriment,  rather 
than  by  the  usual  vulgar  mode. 

The  ceremony  being  over,  the  groom  managed,  by  dint 
of  stretching  and  propping  his  sparse  allowance  of  lips, 
to  get  a  sufficiency  of  skin  over  his  teeth  to  give  a  salute 
to  his  shrinking  bride  ;  and  then  her  cheeks  and  mouth 
w^ere  literally  stormed  with  volleys  of  smacking  kisses 
from  those  around,  male  as  well  as  female,  whilst  many 
claimed  the  wedding  privilege  of  hugging  and  tousing 
the  bride  and  all  her  maids.  At  length  a  truce  was 
begged  and  quarter  solicited  by  the  weaker  party,  and 
then   the  revels  and  carousing   began.     None  of  your 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  217 

frigid,  staid,  ceremonious  doings  !  Everybody  felt  merry, 
and  everybody  danced,  the  preacher  himself  leading 
down  in  the  opening  reel,  and  the  old  miller  and  his 
well-worn  dame  close  at  his  heels.  Lafayette  capered 
and  shuffled  as  if  he  had  been  born  anew  in  the  flesh  as 
well  as  in  the  spirit,  and  if,  in  crossing  over  once,  his 
legs  had  not  unfortunately  become  tangled  so  as  to  trip 
him  suddenly  over,  he  would,  undoubtedly,  have  borne 
off  the  palm  from  all  competitors,  for  the  captain  always 
danced  for  the  love  of  the  thing,  in  good,  earnest  sin- 
cerity, not  for  the  purpose  of  merely  showing  himself  off 
in  certain  nimble  feats  or  graceful  steps. 

How  everybody's  heart  bounded  and  thumped  when 
the  little  brass  bell  rang  for  supper  in  Sophie's  weaving- 
room  !  The  dancing  ceased  in  a  second,  and  in  the  very 
midst  of  a  merry  reel,  in  which  Joe  Morehead  and  the 
bride  were  performing  cuts  and  crossings  which  drew 
unbounded  admiration.  Each  one  seized  hold  of  his 
partner,  and  dashed  off  at  a  long  trot,  for  the  hearty  ex- 
ercise had  only  served  to  increase  the  eagerness  of  ap- 
petites already  most  severely  tested.  And  then  followed 
such  furious  assaults  upon  the  carcasses  of  slaughtered 
chickens,  and  ducks,  an4  turkeys,  and  even  of  geese,  all 
of  whom  had  yielded  up  their  lives  in  the  cause  !  The 
smoke-house  had  been  brought  under  contribution  also, 
and  several  greasy,  well-smoked,  mellow-flavored  old 
hams  occupied  regular  stations  along  the  centre  of  the 
table,  showing  the  extent  of  the  innovation  ;  whilst  here 
and  there,  as  if  to  prove  that  every  species  of  foray  had 
been  put  in  practice,  a  haunch  of  dried  venison,  and 
messes  of  nicely-fried  fish,  recently  drawn  from  the  trap 
under  the  mill  (a  relic  of  Hans  Von  Tromp's  piscatory 
19 

■0 


218  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

achievements  and  skill),  were  spread  out  in  tempting 
array  before  the  delighted  guests.  A  row  of  side  tables 
groaned  beneath  the  weight  of  cakes,  and  puddings,  and 
home-made  preserves;  and  large  hampers  of  apples  and 
peaches  were  seen  planted  in  every  corner  of  the  room  ; 
Avhile,  to  crown  all,  the  jolly  old  miller  would  now  and 
then  admonish  his  guests  to  save  themselves  as  much  as 
possible,  as  heJiad  in  the  back  entry  (to  use  his 'own  ex- 
pression and  simple  language),  "a  plenty  of  millions, 
bothwater  and  mush."*  Neverbefore  had  such  fine  doings 
been  seen  in  Lick-the-skillet,  and  several  acknowledged 
frankly  that  they  had  set  eyes  for  the  first  time,  that 
night,  on  knives  and  forks.  In  proof  of  this,  it  was  re- 
marked that  many  a  forest-born  yeoman  did  not  know 
how  to  use  them,  until  instructed  by  some  more  traveled 
neighbor,  and  then  they  declared,  with  a  grin,  "  that  the 
things  helped  a  body  powerfully  in  eating." 

After  supper  had  been  dispatched,  and  when  every 
one  had  declared  himself  fully  satisfied,  the  guests  again 
adjourned  to  the  parlor  (or,  as  the  people  of  Lick-the- 
skillet  w^ould  say,  the  big  room),  and  the  dancing  w^as 
resumed  for  awhile,  that  the  ample  allowance  of  victuals 
which  had  been  taken  in  might  be  well  stowed  and  set- 
tled before  bed-time.  By  way  of  an  agreeable  change, 
dancing  was  suspended  occasionally,  and  "  Sister  Phebe," 
"  Grind  the  Bottle,"  and  "  Blind  man's  bufli"  were  intro- 
duced. At  length,  an  hour  or  so  after  midnight,  the  amuse- 
ments of  this  pleasant  evening,  which  was  marked  as 
having  been  the  brightest  in  the  life  of  many  who  were 

^  Backwoods  people,  in  the  S^uth,  invariably  pronounce  melon 
as  if  it  was  million^  and  they  conclude  that  the  soft,  mushy  con- 
tents of  the  mw5A;melon  must,  of  course,  give  name  to  the  fruit. 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  219 

present,  were  brought  to  an  end  by  the  time-honored 
custom  of  selling  and  redeeming  pawns.  By  three 
o'clock  all  the  merry  guests  had  departed  for  their 
homes,  and  Lafayette  was  left,  accompanied  only  by  his 
two  principal  attendants,  to  prepare  for  the  grand  finale 
of  all  w^edding  nights. 

But  a  most  painful  and  alarming  piece  of  news  was  in 
store  for  the  impatient  bridegroom.  Hop  Hubbub  and 
Joe  Morehead,  w-ho  had  just  returned  from  escorting,  in 
company  with  the  maids,  the  fair  bride  to  her  quarters 
for  the  night,  now  entered  to  inform  Captain  Mantooth 
that  Sophie  was  snugly  abed  in  old  Von  Tromp's  room 
at  the  mill,  "and  that  he  might  follow  as  soon  as  he  chose. 
The  captain  started,  and  stared  at  his  attendants  with 
mute  incredulity ;  but  when  he  was  seriously  assured 
that  such  had  really  been  the  arrangement,  his  knees 
smote  together  in  spite  of  all  efforts  to  control  their  motion, 
and  his  heart  sank  within  him.  The  blood  which  had 
been  coursing  through  his  veins  at  boiling-point  tempera- 
ture the  moment/  before  now  dropped  to  zero  in  a  trice. 
The  captain  was  actually  debating  to  himself  whether  he 
should  not  fly  the  track,  for  his  fears  of  ghosts  were  too 
strongly  implanted  to  be  shaken  from  their  hold  even  by 
his  anticipated  pleasure. 

At  this  moment,  Joe  Morehead  left  the  room,  and  Hop 
alone  undertook  the  guidance  of  the  now  sorely-frightened 
bridegroom.  The  captain  w^as  ashamed,  of  course,  to  ex- 
plain the  cause  of  his  delay  and  indecision,  and  Hop  was 
vastly  too  smart  at  his  business  even  to  hint  that  he  sus- 
pected it;  so,  after  the  lapse  of  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes, 
he  at  last  succeeded  in  leading  the  captain  out  of  the 


220  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

house,  and,  having  conducted  him  to  the  door  of  the  mill, 
thrust  him  forcibly  in,  and  bade  him  a  hasty  good  night. 

The  mill  room  was  perfectly  dark,  and  Lafayette,  thus 
suddenly  abandoned  and  left  to  himself,  could  perceive 
only  a  faint  ray  of  light  glimmering  through  the  keyhole 
of  the  bridal  chamber.  Two  or  three  immense  strides  of 
his  long  legs  carried  him  two-thirds  of  the  distance  which 
intervened  ;  and  then,  collecting  his  shattered  and  palsied 
strength,  he  succeeded  in  clearing  the  remainder  by  a 
single  leap,  striking  against  the  door  with  a  force  that 
actually  jarred  the  whole  building.  In  an  instant  more 
he  had  forced  it  open,  and  presented  himself  before  his 
surprised  and  laughter-loving  spouse  an  animated  ma»s 
of  shaking  terror.  But  here  matters  presented  to  him  a 
worse  aspect  than  ever.  There,  in  its  accustomed  corner, 
still  stood  the  rough  bedstead  of  old  Von  Tromp,  and 
from  which  he  had  risen  to  engage  in  the  unholy  strife 
which  ended  in  his  death.  Mr.  Pomroy  had  reverentially 
forbidden  all  persons  under  him  ever  to  remove  it,  and  so 
here  it  was  now  just  as  its  occupant  had  left  it  six  years 
ago,  with  his  large  sea  chest,  and  hat,  and  boots,  all 
stowed  away  by  its  side.  Lafayette's  teeth  chattered, 
and  his  long  bony  limbs  shook  terribly  whilst  he  undressed 
and  prepared  for  bed.  Not  even  the  sight  and  presence 
of  that  charming  little  creature  who  had  been  the  subject 
of  his  thoughts  by  day  and  of  his  dreams  by  night  for  a 
month  past,  added  to  the  consciousness  that  she  was  now 
all  his  own,  could  allay  or  dispel  the  awful  sensations  of 
fright  which  deprived  him  of  his  vigor,  and  were  about 
to  cheat  him  of  his  fondest  anticipations. 

At  length,  however,  he  managed  to  get  rid  of  his  outer 
garments,  and  then,  with  quaking  heart  and  fluttering 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  221 

pulse,  extinguished  the  lamp.  As  the  light  had  been 
placed  on  a  chair  quite  near  to  the  bed,  it  cost  the  cap- 
tain but  a  single  exertion  to  slide  in  ;  and,  nimbly  whisking 
up  the  sheets  and  counterpane,  he  covered  over  head  and 
ears  before  one  could  have  said  Jack  Robinson,  and  then 
tumbled  up  close  to  Sophie,  who  often  declared  afterwards 
that  his  bones  felt  just  like  lumps  of  ice. 

All  now  was  quiet  for  several  minutes,  and  under  the 
soothing  influences  of  Sophie's  balmy  breath,  the  captain 
was  beginning  to  coax  and  warm  himself  into  comparative 
forgetfulness  and  ease  of  mind,  when,  suddenly,  the  large 
door  of  the  mill-room  was  heard  to  swing  open  w^ith  a 
"harsh,  reverberating  slam.  Lafayette  jumped  as  though 
every  nerve  in  his  body  had  been  severed,  and  shuddered 
from  head  to  foot  with  unfeigned  alarm.  Heavy,  clang- 
ing footsteps  resounded  over  the  floor,  and  were  evidently 
advancing  to  the  bridal  chamber  at  a  regular  measured 
pace.  The  perspiration  gathered  in  large  drops  on 
Lafayette's  forehead,  and  quickly  bedewed  his  whole 
body  ;  while,  at  the  same  time^  Sophie's  little  heart  began 
to  beat  pitty-pat,  in  double  quick  time,  though  from  a 
very  different  cause  than  ghostly  fear.  Just  as  the  steps 
paused  at  the  door  of  the  chamber,  Lafayette  found  that 
sulphurous  vapors  w^ere  penetrating  through  keyhole,  and 
crevice,  and  window  cranny,  and  he  felt  already  the 
symptoms  of  suffocation.  One  hope,  however,  flashed 
on  his  mind  ;  he  had  locked  and  bolted  the  door  securely, 
and  as  old  Hans  Von  Tromp  was  not  there  to  let  the 
intruder  in,  he  persuaded  himself,  faintly  ana  partially, 
that  the  latter  might  go  away  without  attempting  forcible 
entrance.  But  this  delusive  ray  was  soon  dissipated  and 
obscured.     The  echo  of  the  last  step  without  had  scarcely 

19* 


222  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

died  away,  before  Lafayette's  sharpened  ears  caught  the 
sound  of  a  creaking  noise  in  the  direction  of  Von  Tromp's 
bedstead,  like  that  which  might  proceed  from  some  one 
moving  heavily  over  in  sleep.  In  a  moment,  all  the  wild 
and  awful  tales  of  the  strife  betwixt  the  old  Dutchman 
and  the  black  giant,  with  the  whole  horrid  accompani- 
ments, came  to  his  recollection.  He  saw  already  the 
grim  features,  the  blazing  eyeballs,  and  red  hot  teeth  of 
the  one  ;  the  fierce  struggles,  the  harsh  imprecations,  and 
frantic  appeals  of  the  other,  fell  next  on  his  ear.  Then 
came  the  deadly  grapple,  and  the  unearthly  laughter, 
and  the  dying  groans,  and  the  splashing  uproar  of  troubled 
waters. 

This  ghastly  concentration  of  all  that  was  revolting  to 
mortal  man,  and  appalling  to  human  nature,  was  more 
than  the  weak  nerves  of  Captain  Lafayette  Mantooth 
could  possibly  endure,  or  have  been  expected  to  endure. 
No  wonder  he  should  forget  his  blooming  bride,  and 
forego  his  eager  anticipations ! 

As  things  stood,  let  alone  what  was  expected  to  ensue, 
the  captain  felt  that  there  was  no  safety  for  a  Christian 
man  but  in  speedy  flight,  and  for  this  there  was  but  one 
only  chance.  Immediately  at  the  head  of  his  bed  was  a 
capacious  window,  defended  only  by  a  stout  shutter, 
which  fastened  inside  by  means  of  an  iron  hook  and  sta- 
ple. The  sill  was  not  more  than-ten  feet  from  the  ground, 
and  this  to  Captain  Mantooth's  legs  was  no  distance  at 
all.  His  resolution  w^as  formed  in  a  trice  of  time  ;  and, 
in  momentary  dread  that  he  would  next  hear  old  Von 
Tromp's  grunt  of  welcome  to  his  black  visitor,  without 
even  stopping  to  catch  up  a  single  piece  of  clothing,  and 
leaving  Sophie  to  take  devil's  fare  with  the  hindmost, 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  223 

Lafayette  opened  the  window  with  a  nimble,  sleight-o'- 
hand  effort,  made  a  swinging  leap  through  the  air,  with 
the  tail  of  his  long  shirt  streaming  full  out  behind,  and, 
having  reached  the  ground  safely,  scampered  off  towards 
his  own  quiet  home  with  the  agility  and  speed  of  a  flying 
Indian. 

The  track  having  thus  been  cleared,  the  nocturnal 
intruder  without  began  to  twist  and  turn  softly  the  knob 
of  the  door,  and  to  rap  slightly,  now  and  then,  on  the 
panels.      But  all  to  no  purpose  ;  everything  w^as   still 
within.     Surely,  thought  Hop  (who,   as  the  reader  has 
doubtless  imagined,  was  personating  the  black  visitor  of 
old  Von  Tromp)  the  girl  has  not  followed  the  groom ! 
Anxious  to  ascertain  this  fact  and  beginning  already  to 
distrust  his  wily  confederate.  Hop  applied  his  lips  to  the 
key-hole,  and  whispered,  in  a  low  tone  of  voice,  *'  Sophie  ! 
Sophie!"     No    answer   came,   but   a   suppressed   titter 
caught  his  sharpened  ear,  followed  by  a  smart  rustle  of 
shucks  and  feathers,  as  if  the  fair  bride  had  rolled  from 
one  side  of  the  bed  to  the  other.     Hop  waited  anxiously 
one  moment  to  see  if  his  ally  would  now  open  the  door 
according  to  arrangement ;  but  Joe  had,  apparently,  for- 
gotten this  part,  or,  considering  that  the  groom's  flight 
(ere  he  had  even  found  a  chance  to  grunt  for  the  old 
Dutchman)  was  the  signal  for  his  own  departure,  had 
probably  made  his  escape,  as  was  agreed,  through  the 
same  aperture.     The  door  remained  fast,  and  Hop,  at 
length,  lost  all  patience.     Again,  however,  he  essayed 
the  pronunciation  of  Sophie's  name,  and  the  whispers 
were  sent  through  the  keyhole  somewhat  louder,  but  still 
subdued.     His  respiration  was  almost  entirely  suspended, 
as  he  eagerly  listened  for  some  answering  signal  within. 


224         '  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

Suddenly  he  started  back  as  if  an  earwig  had  leaped  into 
the  distended  cavity  of  his  ear;  a  knowing,  half-humor- 
ous expression  flitted  over  his  countenance;  He  then 
turned  despairingly  from  the  door,  and,  dismantling  him- 
self of  the  disguise  he  had  adopted,  slid  quietly  back 
through  the  window  of  Sophie's  w^eaving-room,  which  had 
been  assigned  to  Joe  Morehead  and  himself  for  sleeping 
quarters  during  the  few  hours  that  were  yet  wanted  to 
bring  the  daylight. 

"  The  sly  old  trout !"  muttered  Hop,  as  he  groped  his 
way  cautiously  to  the  pallet,  fearing  to  upset  some  chair 
or  table,  ''  a  nice  rare-ripe  I  have  made  of  myself !" 

"  Holloh!"  exclaimed  the  voice  of  Joe  Morehead,  in  a 
smothered  tone,  as  he  turned  softly  over  at  hearing  Hop, 
<'  why,  what  the  deuce  brought  you  back  so  soon  ?" 

Hop,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  shuddered  with  sud- 
den apprehension.  He  w^as  expecting  to  hear  any  other 
voice  than  that  of  his  friend  at  that  time,  and  when  he 
called  to  mind  what  had  transpired  scarcely  ten  minutes 
since,  could  not  at  first  believe  that  it  really  was  the  veri- 
table Joe  in  solid  flesh  and  blood. 

^' Here,  are  you,  curse  you!"  said  Hop,  half  seriously, 
as  he  slipped  into  the  vacant  place  on  the  pallet,  and 
chunked  Joe's  portly  side  and  belly  wuth  several  vigor- 
ous bouts  with  his  fist. 

<^Here,  indeed!"  answ^ered  the  imperturbable  Joe. 
*'Why,  I've  been  back  these  twenty  minutes  or  more ! 
Confess,  Hop,  didn't  I  act  old  Von  Tromp's  part  to  the 
very  life?" 

"In  a  horn — "  answered  Hop,  mysteriously. 

"What  do  you  mean?"  asked  Joe,  quite  gravely. 
"  Why,  didn't  you  hear  me  grunt?" 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES,  225 

"Yes  did  I,  by  Jucks!"  replied  Hop,  "several  times  ; 
and  much  more  naturally  than  ghosts  usually  grunt. 
Your'e  a  crack  grunter,  Joe!" 

"I  thought  it  was  best  to  give  him  a  good  scare,  you 
know!"  said  Joe,  archly  and  dryly. 

"  It  didn't  seem  to  scare  Sophie  much,  I  thought !" 
again  said  Hop,  with  quizzical  emphasis. 

"  Oh!  Sophie  understood  it  all,  you  know!"  answered 
Joe,  in  the  same  artless,  indifferent  tone. 

"  I  rather  think  she  did !"  was  Hop's  laconic  reply. 

"What  a  devilish  little  hussy  she  is!"  said  Joe; 
laughingly. 

"Yes — a  devilish  more  so  than  I  thoughts  replied 
Hop. 

"It's  not  at  all  surprising,  though!"  gaped  out  Joe  ;♦ 
"  she's  had  the  best  sort  of  a  teacher,  you  know.  Hop !"  * 

"  Yes,"  again  answered  Hop,  chunking  Joe  stronger 
than  ever,  "yes,  the  very  best  the  country  affords.  I'll 
'knock  under  after  this,  old  trout !" 

"  What  if  Mantooth  should  find  it  out  ?"  asked  Joe, 
seemingly  indifferent. 

"I  guess  Sophie  will  manage  about  that  for  you!" 
replied  Hop. 

"For  Tne.'"  said  Joe,  whistling  for  surprise.  "  I  sup- 
pose you  had  no  part  in  it,  then !  I  thought  you  w^ere 
more  man  than  to  beat  a  retreat  after  the  battle's  over!" 

"  Oh !  as  for  ?we,"  answered  Hop,  carelessly,  "  t 
didn't  so  much  as  get  a  sight  of  the  battle,  the  escalade, 
or  the  escape.  The  old  Dutchman's  ghost  found  better 
fare,  it  would  seem,  than  fighting  his  black  visitor,  for 
he  did  not  even  think  to  open  the  door!" 

"Why,  I  followed  Mantooth,  you  know,"  said  Joe,  in 


'^■''' 


226  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

a  low  and  lisping  sort  of  tone,  "  and  had  no  time  to  open 
the  door ;  and,  besides,  I  hardly  thought  it  was  fair  to 
scare  both  bride  and  groom." 

'^  So,  it  scared  Sophie,  after  all,  then!"  said  Hop. 
"  Why,  I  thought  she  understood  it  all,  Joe  !" 

"Yes,"  answered  Joe,  with  admirable  imperturbabili- 
ty, "but  she  screamed  a  little  when  I  grunted,  in  spite  of 
all  she  could  do  !" 

"  No  wonder!"  said  Hop,  bluntly. 

"And  so  you  came  off  right  away,  did  you?"  asked 
Joe,  again. 

"  No,  I  waited  a  little,  just  a  little  while,  Joe  !"  was 
Hop's  answer.  "  I  hardly  thought  you'd  've  beat  me 
back,  though." 

"  Well,  I  fear  it  will  play  the  very  d — 1  to-morrow, 
all  through  Lick-the-skillet !"  said  Joe,  half  seriously. 

"  No  ;  I  think  the  d — 1  has  played  his  full  part  to- 
night, friend  Joe!"  answered  Hop,  in  his  natural  tone. 
"  Come,  old  trout,  no  more  see-sawing.  You've  trumped 
my  trick  right  fairly,  and  I'm  not  the  man  to  revoke,  you 
know !" 

"  Well,  well,"  drawled  forth  Joe,  "  you're  the  strangest 
fellow  I  ever  saw  !     Here  you  go  to " 

"True  to  the  last,  hey!"  said  Hop,  turning  over, 
laughingly.  "  Well,  there's  the  roosters — let's  go  to 
sleep." 

The  next  morning,  soon  after  sunrise,  the  worthy  and 
valorous  captain,  accompanied  by  one  or  two  of  his  near 
neighbors,  was  seen  riding  up  to  Mr.  Pomroy's  gate. 
Sophie,  already  up  and  dressed,  welcojned  them  at  the 
door,  directing  towards  her  husband  a  look  in  which 
disgust    was  faintly  commingled  with  mischief;  whilst 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  227 

Mr.  Pomroy  and  his  spouse,  totally  taken  aback  by  his 
appearance  in  such  company,  and  fully  believing  that  he 
had  passed  the  night  with  their  fair  daughter,  stared  at 
first  one,  and  then  the  other,  in  mutual  surprise. 

"  Good  morning,  Sophie!"  said  the  captain,  approach- 
ing his  blushing  bride,  *'how  did  you  make  out  last 
night  after  I  was  forced  to  leave  you  ?" 

"  Oh,  very  well  indeed,  I  thank  you,  captain !" 
answered  the  bride,  shrinking  back,  and  curtsying  leer- 
ingly. 

"He  didn't  get  in  then?"  asked  the  captain,  amazed. 

"Who — who  get  in  ?"  asked  Sophie,  in  turn. 

"  The  devil,  sure!"  answered  the  captain,  with  quak- 
ing emphasis. 

"  You  must  be  out  of  your  senses,  you  old  fool !"  said 
the  bold  Sophie,  affecting  very  considerable  pettishness. 

"  What?  and  didn't  the  inside  one  trouble  you  either  ?" 
again  asked  the  puzzled  captain,  holding  up  both  hands. 

"  I  assure  you,  my  doughty  sir,  I  was  never  less 
troubled  in  my  life  than  last  night,  especially  after  you 
left  me,"  answered  Sophie,  smiling  as  she  again  curt- 
sied. 

"My  God!  my  God,  Sophie!"  exclaimed  her  per- 
plexed lord,  in  doleful  accents,  "I  made  sure,  my 
darling,  you'd  be  ruined  forever.  Oh,  neighbors,  and 
Mr.  Poraroy,  I  w^as  sorely,  most  sorely  beset  this  over- 
night." 

"  Since  the  world  was  made,"  put  in  old  Mrs.  Pomroy, 
casting  up  her  eyebrows,  and  puckering  her  mouth, 
"  did  ever  a  man  talk  before  about  being  beset  on  his  wed- 
ding night — and  Sophie  so  young,  too  !" 

"I  do  assure  you,  dear  madam,"  answered  the  cap- 


228  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

tain,  in  the  same  tone,   "  that  I  grieve  and  am  ashamed 
to  tell  what  happened  to  Sophie  and  me  last  night." 

''  And  how  do  you  know,  sir,  what  happened  to  me?" 
asked  Sophie,  brushing  up  smartly. 

"  And  I'd  make  you  know^  if  I  was  Sophie,  for  blab- 
bing this  way  before  two  men  neighbors  !"  again  said 
the  now  nettled  dame. 

"Ah,  my  friends!"  sighed  the  captain  appealingly, 
speaking  to  Mr.  Pomroy  and  his  neighbors,  "  it  was  the 
Dutchman  and  the  Evil  One,  as  sure  as  earth.  It  must 
have  been.  Nothing  else  but  the  fear  of  the  soul's  enemy 
could  ever  have  driven  me  from  my  bride's  arms." 

"Driven  you  from  your  bride's  arms!"  repeated  Mr. 
Pomroy,  now  joining  in  also,  gravely  and  sternly.  "You 
surely  did  not  leave  Sophronia  alone  last  night.  Captain 
Mantooth  ;  let  me  hope  not,  for  the  sake  of  all  the  men 
in  Lick-the-skillet !" 

"Not  alone,  neighbor  Pomroy,"  again  sighed  the 
captain,  "  but  worse  than  alone,  I  fear — far  worse.  I 
fear  mightily,  dear  sir,  that  the  devil  was  near  to  her,  if 
not  with  her,  this  night  last  gone." 

"  The  d — 1,  sure  enough  !"  says  Sophie,  tossing  her 
head.  "I  say,  too,  if  the  d — 1  ever  goes  about  in  the 
shape  of  a  flat  turnip  stuck  on  two  handspikes,  with  a 
blown-up  eelskin  for  his  body,  I  surely  had  him  with 
me  last  night,  but,  thank  God,  not  long." 

"  How  strange  this  all  is  !"  ejaculated  Mr.  Pomroy. 

"Oh,  you  must  know,  pa,  that  Captain  Mantooth 
jumped  out  of  the  window  and  left  me,  last  night,  before 
he  ever  got  cleverly  into  bed,"  said  Sophie,  turning  to 
her   father   with   an   air  of   complaint ;    "  never  mind. 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  229 

though,  for,  as  God  's  my  judge,  the  creature  never  comes 
a-bed  with  me  again !" 

**  Oh,  don't  say  that,  Sophie  ;  you'll  kill  me  if  you 
do  !"  said  Captain  Mantooth,  imploringly,  and  seriously 
alarmed. 

"  I  will  say  it,  and  stick  to  it,  too  !"  answered  the 
offended  bride. 

"  Captain  Mantooth,  I  must  say  that  you've  acted  the 
strangest  I  ever  have  heard  talk  of,"  said  Mr.  Pomroy. 
^'  Do  tell  us  what's  been  the  cause  of  all  this  flare-up." 

The  captain  complied  ;  and,  beginning  with  the  time 
when  Hop  Hubbub  had  pushed  him  into  the  mill,  nar- 
rated faithfully  the  whole  scenes  that  followed — the  foot- 
steps, the  noise  in  old  Von  Tromp's  bed,  his  own  fright, 
and  his  escape  through  the  window.  During  this  strange 
recital,  the  two  neighbors,  who  believed  every  word  of 
it,  as  well  as  the  wild  tales  about  the  Dutchman  and  the 
black  giant,  listened  with  staring  eyes  and  open  mouths, 
attesting  the  same  by  declaring  that  they  had  been 
aroused  soon  after  midnight  by  Captain  Mantooth,  afoot, 
with  nothing  on  but  his  shirt,  and  on  his  way  home, 
who  told  them  just  the  same  story  which  he  had  now 
told  Mr.  Pomroy.  But  this  latter  sagacious  gentleman 
gave  several  meaning  nods  of  the  head,  as  though,  whilst 
not  doubting  his  son-in-law's  veracity,  he  was  gravely 
dissenting  to  his  opinions  of  the  supernatural  agencies 
which  had  been  at  work,  and  which  showed,  moreover, 
plainly  enough,  that,  with  true  professional  acumen,  he 
could  see  deeper  into  the  millstone  than  that.  He  ad- 
mitted, very  wisely,  that  somebody  had  played  the  devil, 
sure  enough,  but  that  he  thought  that  the  devil  himself 
w^as  free  from  all  guilt  in  this  instance  ;  whilst  his 
20 


230  MISSISSIPPI  SCENES. 

equally  sharp-witted  old  darae  blessed  herself  that  So- 
phie was  married  just  the  same  as  if  she  had  been  the 
mother  of  a  dozen  children. 

"  And  where  's  Hop  Hubbub  and  Mr.  Morehead  ?" 
asked  one  of  the  neighbors,  who  had  caught  an  idea 
from  Mr.  Pomroy. 

^'Oh,  they  left  more  than  an  hour  ago,"  answered 
the  miller,  as  he  exchanged  a  shrewd  glance  with  his 
brightening  neighbor. 

** Indeed!"  said  Sophie,  wonderingly  and  artlessly, 
"  I  thought,  pa,  they  w^ent  away  last  night." 

"No,  child,"  put  in  Mrs.  Pomroy,  regarding  Sophie 
tenderly  and  pryingly;  **  we  put  them  in  the  weaving-room 
on  a  pallet  after  the  supper  things  were  moved  out  ;  and 
they  must  have  slept  mighty  softly  and  quietly,  for  we 
heard  nothing  of  them  till  just  before  day." 

"Sophie!"  said  the  captain,  after  he  had  iSnished  his 
narration,  and  sidling  up  to  his  bride,  whose  face  was 
now  again  bright  and  beaming  as  ever,  "  Sophie,  you'll 
take  that  back,  and  go  home  with  me  to-night  now,  won't 
you,  sweet?" 

"Yes,  Sophie,  I  think  you  had  best  pardon  the  cap- 
tain,'^ said  her  father.  "  Strange  things  will  happen 
sometimes ;  and  the  mill  was  just  the  place  for  them  to 
happen.  So,  now,  neighbors,  we'll  all  agree  to  say 
nothing  about  what's  befel  the  captain  here,  and  Sophie ; 
and  you,  Sophie,  must  go  home,  and  behave  so  prettily 
for  the  future  that  the  devil  will  never  get  after  you 
again." 

To  this,  the  charming  bride  of  Lick-the-skillet  found 
it  necessary  to  assent,  and,  as  a  token  of  her  reconcilia- 
tion with  the  captain,  permitted  him  to  kiss  those  cherry 


MISSISSIPPI  SCENES.  231 

lips,  and  embrace  that  peerless  figure,  which  had  so  long 
charmed  his  imagination,  and  filled  him  with  fondest  love. 
I  have  never  heard  but  that  they  lived  most  happily 
together  as  man  and  wife,  and,  though  there  are  some 
pretty  little  stories  circulated  about  the  night  that  Sophie 
spent  with  the  ghost  of  her  old  friend,  Hans  Von  Tromp,  in 
the  mill-house,  and  it  is  whispered  that  Mr.  Joe  Morehead 
is  a  frequent  and  favorite  visitor  at  her  husband's  mansion, 
yet  she  has  the  character  of  being  a  pattern  of  a  wife. 

Old  Peter  Pomroy  and  his  wife  were  still  living  when 
I  last  visited  Lick-the-skillet.  Hop  Hubbub  is  dead,  they 
say;  but  when,  and  how,  and  where  he  died,  nobody 
exactly  knows.  Many  believe  that  he  will  one  day  re- 
appear in  his  old  haunts  ;  but  it  is  a  thing  spoken  about 
as  if  they  thought  he  might  as  likely  appear  in  the  shape 
of  a  ghost  as  of  a  man. 

I  cannot  undertake  to  argue  this  point,  but  certain  I 
am,  and  sadly  do  I  fear  that,  taking  him  all  in  all,  we 
shall  never  behold  Hop's  like  again. 

"But  you  surely  will  tell  us  something  more  about  that 
wily  old  mad-cap,  Joe  Morehead?" 

No,  kind  reader  ;  here  must  end  the  Bride  of  Lick- 
the-skillet. 


#^^>' 


THE   INNKEEPER^S   WIFE 

A  STORY  OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 


CHAPTER  I. 

In  Prince  Edward  county,  Virginia,  within  a  short 
distance  of  the  Court  House,  and  a  few  miles  only  from 
Hampden  Sydney  College,  stands  a  venerable  edifice, 
know^n  to  this  day  as  Moore's  old  Ordinary,  or,  in  Vir- 
ginia parlance,  Or'nary,  Anterior  to  the  War  of  the 
Revolution,  and  during  the  whole  of  that  eventful  strug- 
gle, it  had  been  a  favored  resort  of  the  travelers,  and  of 
the  soldiers  passing  to  or  from  the  scene  of  action. 

During  the  war,  the  proprietor  of  this  ancient  estab- 
lishment was  Major  Joseph  Moore,  an  Englishman  by 
birth,  but  known  throughout  the  struggle  for  independ- 
ence as  an  unwavering  and  active  Whig,  though  hold- 
ing no  office  in  the  army,  or  under  Congress.  In  times 
of  dismay  and  general  misgiving,  when  the  Old  Dominion 
was  crowded  with  hostile  troops,  and  the  wearied,  half- 
famished  troops  of  Greene  and  Lafayette  were  every- 
where driven  before  their  victorious  arms — this  old 
gentleman  took  heart  of  grace  by  greeting  daily  with  his 
morning  cup  a   miserably  painted   picture  of  General 


THE  innkeeper's  WIFE.  233 

Washington  which  adorned  his  parlor  mantel,  and  en- 
couraged his  desponding  neighbors  by  examples  of  dar- 
ing and  ceaseless  activity  in  serving  the  good  cause. 
He  had  provoked,  to  an  irreparable  extent,  the  ven- 
geance of  the  British  and  Hessian  officers,  not  only  by 
adroitly  eluding  their  most  cautious  searches,  but  by  his 
zeal  in  forwarding  provisions  of  food  and  clothing  to  the 
suffering  troops  of  his  adopted  country.  From  the  be- 
ginning, he  had  calculated  the  price  of  his  adhesion  to 
the  colonial  authorities,  and  bravely  resolved  to  meet  the 
issue  of  his  patriotic  decision  by  the  sacrifice  of  all  he 
owned,. if  such  became  necessary.  Whilst  his  pursuers 
were  in  the  neighborhood,  he  was  often  forced  to  take  to 
the  woods  with  his  negroes  and  stock,  where  he  would 
live  for  days  and  weeks  in  a  large  cave,  the  existence  of 
which  was  known  to  none  but  stanch  friends. 

When  it  is  told  that,  during  these  ever-recurring  ab- 
sences, the  young  wife  of  this  determined  Whig  resolute- 
ly kept  by  her  troubled  board,  steadily  discharging  her 
duties  as  mistress  and  landlady,  it  will  easily  be  con- 
jectured that  she  could  have  been  none  but  an  extra- 
ordinary woman,  such  as,  in  those  days,  stamped  an 
undying  influence  on  their  neglected  and  underrated  sex. 
The  writer  of  this  sketch  recalls  at  this  period  with 
peculiar  pleasure,  not  unmixed  with  some  pride,  many 
a  tale  of  the  heroic  fortitude  and  Spartan  courage  which 
distinguished  his  venerable  ancestress,  and  charmed  many 
an  hour  of  his  youthful  days.  She  was  emphatically  a 
woman  of  the  Revolution. 

Unlike  her  husband,  who  was  originally  a  ship-builder, 
she  was  well-born,  and  inherited  an  ample  fortune.  In 
the  earlier  years  of  marriage,  she  had  to  endure  the  re* 

20* 


234  THE  innkeeper's  wife: 

flection,  not  a  little  mortifying  to  her  pride,  of  being 
thought  wedded  to  a  man  rather  beneath  her  station  and 
pretensions.  But,  after  the  war  broke  out,  and  laudations 
were  showered  on  her  husband  for  his  indomitable  exer- 
tions, both  by  his  neighbors  and  by  officers  of  the  army 
who  had  experienced  the  benefit  of  his  aid,  all  pompous 
clamor  was  silenced,  and  his  station  was  considered 
suited  to  any  family.  Pope's  famous  couplet  was  never 
more  strikingly  illustrated  than  by  his  history  : — 

"  Honor  and  worth  from  no  condition  rise  : 
Act  well  your  part;  there  all  the  honor  lies." 

The  year  1781  was  prolific  in  important  events  for 
American  Independence,  and  Virginia  was  all  anxiety. 
On  one  side  she  was  held  in  terror  by  the  haughty  and 
ruthless  Hessians  under  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  expecting 
hourly  invasion  and  devastation  ;  whilst  on  the  other, 
the  fierce  veterans  of  Cornwallis  and  the  **  invincible 
legion"  of  Tarleton  threatened  to  crush  all  within  their 
reach.  Greene's  army,  that  heroic  column  which  had 
fought  through  all  obstacles,  and  suffered  and  bled  in 
utter  despair  of  all  relief;  which  had  defied  the  disci- 
pline of  British  regulars,  the  pangs  of  famine,  the  fury 
of  the  elements,  the  pitiless  severity  of  the  seasons,  naked 
and  half  armed,  and  had  triumphed  over  all ;  this  army, 
hotly  pursued  by  Cornwallis,  was  in  the  neighborhood. 
In  the  very  sight,  and  under  the  guns  of  their  incensed 
enemy,  they  had  crossed  the  Dan,  and  the  whole  country 
rang  with  shouts  of  exultation  at  the  brilliant  feat.  The 
sturdy  Whig  population  of  the  surrounding  counties 
poured  out  en  masse,  to  relieve  their  wants  in  food,  cloth- 
ing, and  accoutrements.     The  expiring  spark  of  patriot- 


A  STORY  OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  235 

ism  was  rekindled,  and  the  torch  of  freedom  and  of  the 
revolution  burned  with  new  vigor. 

As  may  be  supposed,  these  circumstances  and  their 
results,  so  well  calculated  to  countervail  the  recent  de- 
pression, which  was  vainly  thought  the  prelude  to  uni- 
versal dismay  and  submission,  greatly  exasperated  the 
British  leaders,  and  they  wreaked  vengeance  in  ways 
utterly  repugnant  to  all  rules  of  civilized  warfare,  and 
degrading  to  humanity.  Houses  were  ransacked,  beds 
ripped  open,  furniture  spoiled,  and  provisions  and  pro- 
perty destroyed,  without  discrimination  and  without 
mercy.  Parties  were  sent  to  scour  the  country,  who 
scrupled  not  to  murder  or  imprison  the  men,  and  to 
insult  the  women.  It  was  a  time  for  the  daughters  of 
America  to  summon  all  their  fortitude  ;  for  husbands, 
fathers,  and  brothers,  unprepared  to  provide  for  or  protect 
them  under  the  rapid  assaults  and  sudden  onsets  of  the 
British  cavalry,  were  forced,  without  choice  or  remedy,  to 
leave  them  to  what  meagre  courtesy  and  forbearance 
their  sex  or  their  situation  could  extract  from  their  fierce 
invaders.  Nor  did  woman's  fortitude  and  courage  fail 
or  flinch  in  these  appalling  emergencies. 

Now  it  happened  that,  on  a  cold  night  in  the  year 
above  named,  whilst  our  family  at  the  Ordinary  were 
quietly  seated  around  the  cheerful  fireside,  engaged 
doubtless  in  recounting  the  stirring  news  developed  at 
each  day's  close,  a  negro  who  had  been  on  the  lookout 
entered,  breathless  and  trembling,  with  the  unwelcome 
and  ever-terrifying  announcement  that  *^  the  red  coats 
under  Tarleton  were  in  the  neighborhood,  and  might 
ride  up  at  any  moment."  All  was  instantly  alarm  and 
confusion.     The  wife  refused  to  sleep  in  such  suspense, 


236  THE  innkeeper's  wife: 

and  bracing  herself  against  the  depressing  effects  of 
unnecessary  fear,  actively  abetted  her  husband  in  his 
preparations  for  flight.  In  a  short  time,  all  was  ready, 
and,  filled  with  melancholy  presages,  the  husband  and 
wife  bade  a  silent  adieu,  each  resolved  to  encounter  with 
firmness  their  respective  duties  and  difficulties.  Not  a 
living  thing  which  could  lay  claim  to  the  name  of  pro- 
perty was  left  on  the  premises,  if  we  except  an  old  negro 
and  his  wife  who  volunteered  to  remain  with  their  mis- 
tress. But  the  provisions  which  had  been  stored  away 
for  the  American  troops,  and  for  the  accommodation  of 
such  travelers  as  might  venture  abroad  in  these  times 
of  gloom  and  terror,  were  left  exposed ;  and  the  spacious 
cellar  was  filled  with  barrels  of  peach  brandy,  distilled 
at  home,  and  carefully  reserved  for  the  same  purposes. 
To  save  a  portion  of  these  was  now  the  most  anxious 
object  with  Mrs.  Moore — to  save  all  was  entirely  out  of 
the  question.  In  view  of  her  slender  resources,  she 
instantly  resolved  to  leave  the  cribs  and  granaries  to  fare 
as  they  might,  and  directed  her  whole  thoughts  and 
means  to  the  preservation  of  her  stores  in  the  cellar.  She 
at  once  calculated  that  the  whole  troop  would  be  break- 
fasted at  her  expense,  and  this  she  resolved  to  offer  with 
cheerfulness.  Unprovided  with  mean^  of  transportation, 
it  could  hardly  be  supposed  that  cavalry  would  or  could 
carry  away  more  than  would  answer  temporarily,  being 
so  far  too  from  the  main  body  of  the  army.  To  prevent 
destruction  of  what  was  left  was,  therefore,  the  import- 
ant question.  She  was  sure  that  the  liquor  could  not 
escape,  and  in  daily  expectation  that  Colonel  Washing- 
ton would  be  passing  (who  was  attempting  to  check  the 


A  STORY  OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  237 

rapacity  of  the  eneray),  she  was  most  anxious  to  preserve 
full  rations  for  his  weary  and  patriotic  band. 

Leaving  her  children  to  the  care  of  the  faithful  negress, 
she  descended,  candle  in  hand,  accompanied  by  her 
servant,  to  the  cellar  beneath.  Within  this  was  an 
apartment  back,  divided  by  a  thick  wall,  and  to  which 
no  light  was  admitted.  Here  was  always  stored  the 
brandy,  which,  thus  secured,  was  left  to  mellow  and 
to  purify.  Her  excellent  sense  at  once  suggested  that 
this  secluded  stronghold,  together  with  the  pleasant  and 
captivating  effiuvia  which  exuded  from  its  every  crack 
or  crevice,  would  be  most  sure  to  attract,  and  probably 
distract  the  attention  of  the  robbers  who  were  shortly 
expected.  Applying  the  key  to  the  iron-faced  door, 
which  looked  as  though  it  might  resist  the  strongest 
efforts  if  stormed,  she  directed  the  astonished  servant  to 
roll  out  a  number  of  the  choice  barrels.  These  she 
strewed  in  different  parts  of  the  open  room,  taking  care 
to  conceal  them  partially  by  carelessly  throwing  over 
them  pieces  of  hoops  and  staves,  or  mildewed  straw,  in 
such  manner  as  to  create  the  impression  that  they  were 
nothing  more  than  heaps  of  useless  rubbish.  After  the 
same  fashion  she  also  adroitly  disguised  several  barrels 
of  pork  and  flour,  to  guard  against  contingencies.  This, 
though  simple  in  every  particular,  was  a  remarkable 
instance  of  self-possession  in  a  matron  not  much  exceed- 
ing the  age  of  twenty-five,  and  so  perilously  situated. 
Having  done  all  she  could  do,  and  again  locking  the 
door,  she  put  the  key  in  her  basket  and  re-entered  her 
chamber.  Her  children  were  quietly  sleeping  on  their 
pallet,  and  anxious,  but  resolved,  she  lay  down  undressed 
by  their  side,  not  to  sleep,  but  to  await  the  event  as 
became  a  wife,  a  mother,  and  a  woman  of  America. 


238  THE  innkeeper's  wife 


CHAPTER    II. 

True  to  his  accustomed  activity,  by  early  dawn  on 
the  day  following,  Tarleton  had  broken  up  his  bivouac, 
and  before  the  sun  mounted  over  the  surrounding  hills, 
was  on  his  march  for  the  Ordinary.  A  dense  fog  covered 
the  whole  space  around,  and  his  approach  was  known 
only  from  the  rumbling  echo  of  hoofs  as  the  squadron 
galloped  over  the  frozen  ground.  Foremost  came  a  cor- 
poral with  his  advanced  guard,  to  make  known  the  orders 
of  his  imperious  and  fierce  commander.  Early  as  was 
the  hour,  Mrs.  Moore  had  prepared  her  plan  of  action, 
and,  as  the  officer  entered,  unasked  and  unannounced, 
was  sitting  before  a  huge  log  fire  which  blazed  in  the 
parlor  corner,  calmly  engaged  with  her  knitting,  as  though 
peril  and  insult  were  not  near.  On  his  entrance,  she 
rose,  but  offered  no  salute  or  invitation,  and  the  rough 
soldier  swaggered  to  the  fire,  where,  standing  with  his 
back  to  its  cheerful  blaze,  a  skirt  of  his  coat  hanging 
from  each  arm,  he  thus  accosted  the  matron  in  the  rude 
and  discourteous  style  so  common  at  that  time  with  the 
British  troops. 

"  Well,  madam,  where  is  the  infernal  old  rebel  who 

keeps  this  house  ?     Answer  me  quick,  for  by ,  I'm 

in  no  humor  for  dainty  mouthing  and  s^lly  scenes." 

*'What  mean  you,  sir?"  answered  Mrs.  Moore,  who 
by  the  by  was  blessed  with  a  full  share  of  temper  when 


A  STORY  OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  239 

excited,  as  well  as  spirit  to  maintain  it.  "  I  am  not  in 
the  habit  of  hearing  or  replying  to  such  beastly  lan- 
guage." 

"You  ask  what  I  mean,"  said  the  corporal.  "  I  will 
tell  you  that  I  mean  your  husband,  or  whatever  you  are 
to  the  rebellious  traitor  whose  name  hangs  on  yonder 
sign.  If  we  can  lay  hands  on  him,  I'll  try  and  raise  his 
head  by  the  side  of  his  name,  and  ask  of  you  no  further 
aid  than  the  loan  of  a  strong  bed-cord."  And,  pointing 
to  the  beam  on  the  sign-post,  he  made  a  significant 
motion  with  his  hand  about  his  neck,  which  left  no  doubt 
as  to  the  allusion. 

This  insult,  so  stinging  and  so  unprovoked,  drew  an 
involuntary  tear  to  the  eye  of  the  helpless  woman,  but, 
wisely  subduing  any  appearance  of  the  kind  in  such 
company,  she  turned  her  back  on  the  ruffian,  and  walked 
into  her  chamber. 

At  this  moment,  the  full,  mellow  sound  of  a  bugle 
awaked  the  echoes  of  hill  and  dale,  and  the  whole 
troop  appeared  in  sight  at  the  head  of  the  lane.  The 
rising  sun  had  dispelled  in  part  the  thick  mist  of  the 
morning,  and  from  a  window  of  her  room  the  lady  could 
catch  glimpses  of  their  shining  armor  as  they  rapidly 
advanced.  Presently  they  galloped  full  into  the  yard, 
and  the  corporal  walked  out  to  meet  them. 

A  towering,  stalwart  oflScer,  clad  in  the  splendid  uni- 
form of  a  British  dragoon,  dismounted  from  his  charger, 
and,  after  exchanging  a  word  with  the  corporal,  advanced 
towards  the  doorway,  making  the  oaken  floor  of  the 
long  gallery  in  front  ring  with  the  clang  of  his  iron- 
heeled  cavalry  boots.  The  huge  roan  steed,  the  long 
brown  hair,  and  the  frightful  marks  of  small-pox  which 


240  THE  INNKEEPER^S  wife: 

disfigured  his  otherwise  comely  face,  told  at  once  who 
this  officer  was,  and,  agreeably  to  the  plan  she  had 
formed,  Mrs.  Moore,  having  a  little  girl  by  the  hand, 
and  an  infant  boy  in  her  arms,  met  him  promptly  at  the 
hall  door. 

"  Colonel  Tarleton,  I  presume,"  she  said,  with  a  grace- 
ful curtsey. 

"  At  your  service,  madam,"  was  the  prompt  reply  of 
that  celebrated  officer.  And,  as  he  touched  the  rim  of 
his  dragoon  cap,  he  responded  to  the  offi^r  of  the  lady 
by  seating  himself  with  somewhat  of  the  same  familiarity 
w^hich  had  distinguished  his  sub-officer  before  the  parlor 
fire. 

Fierce  and  unrelenting,  though  always  roughly  cour- 
teous, the  British  commander  was  nevertheless  struck 
with  the  calm  dignity,  the  stately  manner,  and  somewhat 
aristocratic  demeanor  of  his  landlady,  and  could  not  re- 
concile her  appearance  with  the  generally  received  no- 
tions of  an  innkeeper's  wife. 

"  'Pon  honor,  madam,"  said  he,  <*  I  must  say  you 
have  there  tw^o  likely,  nice  little  folks,"  and,  offisring  his 
hand  to  the  little  girl,  who  readily  took  it,  he  at  the  same 
time  slightly  caressed  the  boy  in  the  mother's  arms. 
With  staring  eye  and  trembling  lip,  the  infant  pertly 
struck  the  hand  which  he  extended,  and  hid  its  head  in 
the  folds  of  the  mother's  shawl. 

"  Oh,  ho,"  laughed  Tarleton,  <<  some  of  the  old  leaven, 
I  see.  The  red  is  too  strong  for  his  little  blue  eyes,  I 
suppose;  hey,  madam?"  winking  knowingly  at  the 
mother.  "  By  the  way,  madam,  does  the  father  of  this 
fiery  little  rebel  always  leave  you  to  do  the  honors  of  his 
tavern  ?     His  faith  is  tolerably  strong,  considering  your 


m 


A  STORY  OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  241 

age  and  comeliness.  Come,  my  good  madam,  tell  me, 
have  you  locked  him  in  the  closet,  hid  him  in  the  cuddy, 
or  stuffed  him  under  the  bed  ?  He  has  served  his  mob 
Congress  and  his  rebel  leaders  well  enough  to  receive 
some  attention  at  my  hands." 

"I  am  happy  to  say,  sir,"  returned  the  lady,  "that 
my  husband  is  beyond  your  reach,  and  I  decline  for  him 
the  attentions  you  speak  of.  As  to  whether  I  have  placed 
him  where  you  suggest,  I  presume  you  will  soon  find 
when  you  commence  your  usual  round  of  forcing  locks, 
tearing  open  beds,  and  burning  houses." 

"  For  George,  madam,  a  proper  answer  from  a  rebel's 
wife  to  an  officer  in  his  majesty's  service!"  said  Tarleton, 
with  a  mixture  of  humor  and  mock  severity  of  tone. 
**  And  what  if  I  should  do  all  you  have  said,  how  can 
these  daring  and  obstinate  rebels  complain  who  put  his 
majesty  to  such  trouble  ?  Make  yourself  easy,  my  good 
hostess,  but  I  have  now  no  time  to  parley  or  play  at  cross 
questions  with  a  spirited  dame.  Work  is  before  me, 
and  work  is  always  first  with  those  under  my  orders." 

At  this  instant  the  corporal  again  entered,  and,  lifting 
his  cap,  approached  to  where  his  officer  and  the  lady 
were  sitting.  At  the  sight  of  her  insulter,  Mrs.  Moore 
could  not  repress  a  slight  exclamation.  She  started 
back,  whilst  the  fire  of  injured  feeling  and  outraged  de- 
licacy burned  in  her  lustrous  eyes,  and  suffused  with  a 
deep  crimson  hue  the  cheeks  just  now  pallid  almost  from 
the  reflection  in  whose  dread  presence  she  stood.  All 
these  were  not  unobserved  by  the  quick  glance  of  Tarle- 
ton, who,  beyond  doubt,  had  felt  his  chivalry  awakened 
by  the  manner  and  spirit  of  the  w^oman  before  him. 

*'  Pray,  what  is  the  matter,  madam  ?"  he  asked. 
21 


242  THE  innkeeper's  wife: 

^'  And  what  causes  you  such  feeling  at  the  sight  of  my 
officer?" 

Unabashed  and  nerved  by  the  full  flow  of  resentment 
which  lurks  in  woman's  bosom  when  smarting  beneath 
the  rankling  of  insult  and  outrage,  Mrs.  Moore  recounted 
with  feeling  emphasis  the  gross  language  and  the  of- 
fensive allusion  which  had  aroused  and  embittered  her 
feelings  as  a  wife  and  a  mother.  As  she  proceeded,  the 
rigid  frown  which  contracted  the  brow  of  Tarleton,  and 
the  fury  which  sparkled  from  his  fierce  glance,  told  that 
woman  had  found  a  protector,  and  sent  a  cold  shudder 
to  the  heart  of  the  brutal  offender. 

When  asked  if  he  admitted  the  fact,  the  trooper  could 
not  articulate,  so  firmly  had  fear  and  conscious  guilt 
clenched  his  teeth  ;  and  when,  in  the  rage  of  passion, 
and  with  the  full  sway  of  a  British  commanding  officer, 
Tarleton  strode  forward  and  struck  him,  the  soldier  cow- 
ered and  shrank  beneath  the  blow  like  a  slave.  This 
w^as  not  all.  Tarleton  caused  him  to  unclasp  his  sword- 
belt,  and  then,  breaking  the  weapon  before  his  face, 
ordered  him  to  the  rear  under  arrest. 

These  facts,  being  substantially  true,  serve  to  relieve 
in  some  measure  the  odium  which  is  generally  heaped 
on  the  name  and  memory  of  this  distinguished,  though 
cruel  Briton.  On  this  occasion  he  certainly  behaved  as 
a  gallant  and  high-souled  officer,  jealous  of  the  reputation 
of  his  service,  though  his  harsh  and  summary  chastise- 
ment of  the  offender  in  the  presence  of  a  lady,  a  scene 
so  unsuited  to  female  softness  and  delicacy,  showed  in 
a  strong  view  that  impulsive  and  fierce  disposition  so 
characteristic  of  the  man. 

This  being  done,  Tarleton  resumed  his  natural  humor, 


A  STORY  OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  243 

and  proceeded  with  his  inquiries,  as  though  nothing  of 
an  unusual  character  had  happened.  And  indeed  such 
scenes  in  the  British  army,  which  in  the  French  or 
American  service  would  have  aroused  a  hurricane  of 
resentment  among  the  junior  officers  and  privates,  w^ere 
by  no  means  uncommon,  and  account  in  part  for  the 
ruffian  dispositions  of  the  soldiery  when  unchecked  by 
rigid  discipline. 

"Now,  madam,"  said  Tarleton,  "  since  it  seems  I 
shall  not  now  have  the  pleasure  of  conducting  your  hus- 
band as  a  prisoner  of  war  to  my  commanding  officer,  I 
must  trouble  you  to  breakfast  my  squad  with  a  portion 
of  those  dainty  supplies  w^hich  doubtless  your  good  man 
has  left  to  be  distributed  to  the  rebel  army,  who  know  so 
much  better  how  to  run  than  how  to  fight." 

"  Do  they  indeed  ?"  said  the  matron,  emboldened  to 
satire,  perhaps,  by  the  consciousness  of  being  in  a  gen- 
tleman's power,  and  not  in  that  of  a  ruffian,  as  he  had  been 
represented.  "  Doubtless  we  poor  Americans  have  been 
duped  by  false  rumors  :  but  a  few  weeks  since  we  had 
news  that  his  majesty's  troops  fully  equaled  them  in  the 
first,  whilst  our  poor  soldiers  proved  their  knowledge  of 
the  last  quite  to  the  satisfaction  of  Cornwallis  and  his 
officers." 

"Ah,  you  allude  to  that  ridiculous,  helter-skelter  affiiir 
at  your  Cowpens,"  answered  Tarleton,  no  way  confused. 
"  Well,  madam,  I  did  my  part,  as  you  doubtless  heard, 
and  his  lordship  hopes  soon  to  get  this  mob  enclosed  in 
pens  something  more  substantial  than  where  we  last  had 
them." 

"  Report  says,"  retorted  the  lady,  now  cruel  in  turn, 
"  that  we  have  an  officer  in  the  American  ranks  who  does 


244  THE  innkeeper's  wife: 

not  much  dread  close  quarters  in  battle,  even  though  he 
finds  himself  face  to  face  with  a  very  redoubted  adver- 
sary." 

"  Zounds,  madam,  you  tempt  me  to  anger  by  such  a 
ridiculous  tirade,"  answered  he,  somewhat  moved,  though 
not  out  of  humor.  **  If  ever  I  can  get  sight  of  this  name- 
sake of  your  old  rebel  chief,  I  will  leave  on  him  a  mark 
by  which  he  can  boast  to  some  effect  of  an  encounter." 

"  In  that  case,"  again  said  the  lady,  archly  smiling, 
"  you  and  he,  from  what  we  hear,  will  be  then  fairly  at 
quits,  for  it  is  said  he  has  already  balanced  that  score." 

The  latter  part  of  this  conversation  is  given  on  testi- 
mony not  considered  altogether  reliable  in  our  courts  of 
judicature,  though  if  the  report,  which  has  since  received 
the  sanction  of  history,  be  true,  that  Tarleton  had  lost 
his  fingers  in  a  hand  to  hand  fight  with  Colonel  Wash- 
ington, it  is  fairly  presumable  that  the  rumor  was  then 
rife.  On  this  occasion,  he  was  gloved  and  booted,  as 
already  remarked,  and  the  wound,  if  ever  inflicted,  was 
not  of  course  visible. 


A  STORY  OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  245 


CHAPTER    III. 

The  troop  dismounted  and  arranged  to  cook  and  eat 
their  breakfast  in  the  open  yard,  Tarleton  and  a  few  of 
his  higher  officers  only  partaking  their  meal  in  the  hall 
under  the  invitation  and  superintendence  of  their  inex- 
plicable hostess.  Whilst  engaged  in  discussing,  with 
great  apparent  pleasure,  the  substantial  repast  spread 
out  before  them,  it  is  said  that  Tarleton,  with  a  species 
of  blunt  politeness  peculiar  to  him,  asked  ''  if  he  could 
get  a  cup  of  tea." 

*'A  cup  of  tea!"  answered  Mrs.  Moore.  *^  Colonel 
Tarleton  surely  forgets  that  he  is  breakfasting  with  the 
wife  of  an  American  patriot.  In  these  times,  too,  we 
have  no  means  of  transporting  hither  the  waters  in  Bos- 
ton harbor,  and  they  are  the  only  specimen  of  the  article 
you  wish  we  have  had  in  this  country  for  many  years 
past." 

At  this  tart  but  good-humored  sally,  the  young  officers 
at  table  laughed  outright,  despite  the  presence  of  their 
commander,  whose  crude  and  severe  notions  of  loyalty 
and  discipline  were  understood  to  be  generally  averse  to 
the  least  levity  as  regarded  the  course  of  his  superiors, 
or  the  action  of  his  government.  After  gravely  rebuking 
them  on  this  occasion,  he  replied  to  the  lady  of  the  house 
in  his  usual  tone,  half  earnest,  half  humorous. 

"Well,  my  dear  madam,"   said   he,   "I  only  wish 

21* 


246  THE  innkeeper's  wife: 

those  savages  had  maintained  their  disguise  long  enough 
to  allow  his  majesty's  troops  an  opportunity  of  tinging 
the  tea  of  Boston  harbor  with  the  color  so  obnoxious  to 
you  Americans.  Their  blood  would  have  answered  the 
purpose  admirably.  The  Ethiopian  may  not  change 
his  skin,  but  savages  sometimes  have  been  known  to  do 
the  like,  especially  when  their  color  was  likely  to  cost 
them  dear." 

Breakfast  was  finished,  and  the  bugle  sounded  the 
assembly.  The  officers  w^ere  at  their  respective  posts, 
but  Tarleton  still  remained  by  the  fireside.  The  troop- 
ers were  all  paraded  in  line  in  front  of  the  house,  when, 
at  an  order  from  the  sergeant,  every  tenth  man  dis- 
mounted, leaving  his  horse  in  charge  of  his  right  file. 
These  formed  the  search  corps,  a  system  of  domiciliary 
which  was  never  neglected  by  Tarleton  in  these  official 
military  visits. 

Through  the  open  door  the  lady  of  the  house  had  seen 
this  movement,  and  understood  at  once  its  object.  Un- 
der the  direction  of  the  sergeant,  this  corps  filed  off 
toward  the  lots  where  the  corn,  fodder,  and  various  pro- 
vender were  collected  and  stored.  On  their  return,  they 
seized  upon  the  old  negro  man,  and  ordered  him  to  con- 
duct them  to  the  store-room  of  the  Ordinary  and  to  the 
cellar.  The  first  of  these,  like  the  various  houses  just 
left,  were  noted  down  in  the  sergeant's  memorandum 
book.  Arrived  at  the  cellar,  the  sergeant  himself  led  the 
way.  He  approached  the  apparent  heaps  of  rubbish, 
and  with  his  foot  kicked  off  some  of  the  top  coverings  ; 
but,  as  the  old  servant  began  to  dread  the  failure  of  his 
mistress's  plan,  the  keen  eye  of  the  soldier  was  attracted 
to  the  iron-faced  door  of  the  locked  cellar,  and,  followed 


A  STORY  OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  247 

by  his  companions,  he  sprang  forward  with  undisguised 
ecstasy.  But  to  force  it  was  no  easy  matter,  and  the 
keys  were  in  possession  of  the  landlady.  The  savory 
smell  of  the  brandy  excited  the  keenest  appetite,  and  a 
most  unconquerable  thirst.  They  resolved  on  a  report 
to  the  chief,  whose  influence,  it  was  hoped,  might  obtain 
the  keys,  and  thus  prevent  the  delay,  which  none  relished, 
and  the  necessity,  which  was,  from  appearances,  by  no 
means  inviting,  of  resorting  to  force.  The  report  was 
made,  and  Tarleton  peremptorily  demanded  the  keys. 
The  lady  replied  that  she  would  never  surrender  them 
willingly,  and  gave  the  chieftain  to  understand  that,  if 
he  obtained  the  keys,  which  she  displayed  from  her 
girdle,  he  must  get  them  as  he  could. 

Tarleton  disdained  to  use  compulsory  or  ungallant 
means  with  a  lady  of  such  undoubted  pretensions,  and 
ordered  the  sergeant  to  take  men  and  what  materials  he 
could  gather,  and  break  open  the  door  which  locked  in 
the  precious  viands,  most  precious  of  all  things  to  the 
soldier. 

He  himself  superintended  the  work,  and  from  motives 
of  seeking  her  safety  in  his  presence,  as  well  as  a  na- 
tural anxiety,  Mrs.  Moore,  attended  by  her  children, 
went  along  with  him.  This  work  consumed  an  hour  or 
two,  which  rendered  the  British  officer  restive  and  impa- 
tient, especially  when  he  reflected  that  the  delay  might 
be  saved  by  a  slight  severity,  which  he  had  not  often 
scrupled  to  practice.  His  men  were  astonished  at  this 
relaxation,  and  an  officer  was  heard  to  swear  "  that  he 
believed  the  colonel  was  smitten  with  the  comely  ap- 
pearance and  lofty  spirit  of  the  rebel  dame." 

At  length,  after  vigorous  efforts,  the  door  gave  way, 


248  THE  innkeeper's  wife  : 

and  the  barrels  lay  before  them.  Tarleton  gave  orders 
to  have  his  men  served  each  with  a  heavy  ration,  and 
their  canteens  filled.  This  done,  he  unhesitatingly 
caused  his  men  to  break  open  the  heads  of  such  as  re- 
mained over,  and  the  floor  of  the  cellar  was  flooded  in 
an  instant.  Mrs.  Moore  looked  on  silently,  but  with  ill- 
repressed  indignation,  which  Tarleton  failed  not  to  no- 
tice. 

"  The  rules  of  war  are  severe,  my  good  madam,"  said 
he,  "  but  you  rebels  leave  us  no  choice.  This  liquor 
has  been  saved  with  great  labor,  and  doubtless  for  other 
purposes ;  but  my  orders  are  to  anticipate  and  provide 
against  such  purposes." 

"  I  expected  no  better,"  replied  the  lady,  "  and  per- 
haps I  had  best  prepare  for  worse." 

"  That  you  will  soon  find  out,  madam,"  was  the  pithy 
reply,  and  the  stern  veteran  bowed,  and  re-conducted  his 
fair  companion  to  the  upper  story.  The  sergeant  now 
presented  his  memorandum,  and  after  some  conversation 
between  the  two,  Tarleton,  turning  to  the  lady,  observed, 
**My  officer  returns  me  herewith  a  schedule  of  your  stock 
of  provisions,  which  I  am  ordered  either  to  seize  or  cut 
off'  from  the  rebel  army.  I  have  levied  enough  already 
to  answer  present  purposes,  but  you  must  give  me  your 
word  of  honor  not  to  apply  these  to  the  wants  of  the 
Americans,  else  I  shall  proceed  with  my  duty." 

"  Then  proceed,"  said  the  lady,  firmly,  "  for  I  assure 
you  that  I  shall  make  no  such  promise." 

*' Madam,  this  promise  can  cost  you  nothing,"  said 
the  officer,  evidently  reluctant  to  resort  to  severity.  ''  If 
I  destroy  them,  the  rebels  cannot  get  them,  and  they  lose 
nothing." 


A  STORY  OF  THE  REVOLUTION.  249 


a 


I  am  not  insensible  to  what  you  say,"  returned  the 
lady,  "  and  I  acknowledge  my  obligation  to  you  for  one 
instance  of  courtesy.  If  you  cannot  spare  us  further 
losses  and  destruction,  I  regret  it ;  but  I  cannot  purchase 
your  forbearance  by  the  sacrifice  of  my  duty  to  my  hus- 
band and  countrymen." 

This  heroic  speech  closed  the  parley,  and  threw,  at 
once,  all  to  the  discretion  and  decision  of  the  British  chief- 
tain. He  cast  around  his  ofl5cers  an  inquiring  and 
somewhat  perplexed  glance.  Their  expression  could 
not  be  mistaken,  and  he  resolved  to  err  for  once  on  the 
side  of  forbearance. 

"  Sergeant,  form  the  line,  and  prepare  for  marching," 
he  sharply  exclaimed.  "  And  now  hearken,  madam  ;  I 
shall  leave  your  property  untouched,  after  having  exact- 
ed our  meal,  and  let  loose  the  brandy  barrels,  and  you 
may  boast  hereafter  of  having  done  what  no  man  has 
succeeded  in  doing,  and  that  is,  having  turned  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel Tarleton,  of  his  majesty's  dragoons,  from  the 
proper  course  of  his  purpose." 

Having  thus  said,  he  strode  forth  from  the  room  and 
called  for  his  charger.  Gratified  at  her  success  in  pre- 
serving the  brandy  disguised  in  the  front  cellar,  and 
touched  with  the  unexpected  courtesy  from  an  officer  so 
usually  unrelenting,  one  other  idea  still  occurred  to  the 
sagacious  reflections  of  this  calculating  woman.  This 
was  that  stragglers  might  return,  and,  in  the  absence  of 
officers,  destroy  what  was  left,  and  subject  her  to  re- 
newed outrage.  She  took  her  resolution  in  a  moment, 
and  just  when  Tarleton  was  in  the  act  of  stepping  forth 
to  mount  his  horse,  she  gently  tapped  his  elbow,  and 
requested  that  an  officer  might  be  permitted  to  remain 


250  THE  innkeeper's  wife. 

until  the  troop  had  gone  far  enough  to  prevent  the  oc- 
currence she  apprehended. 

*'  Madam,"  said  he,  "  I  do  not  feel  authorized  to 
detail  any  officer  on  a  duty  which  might  prove  one  of 
great  danger,  and  not  known  to  the  service.  I  shall  take 
pains  to  guard  against  what  you  apprehend  ;  but  if  any 
one  chooses  to  volunteer  in  your  favor,  I  shall  not  pro- 
hibit him  from  so  doing."  A  young  lieutenant  imme- 
diately rode  out  and  tendered  his  services. 

'^  Very  well,"  said  Tarleton  again.  And  gracefully 
waving  his  sword  in  adieu,  he  turned  and  galloped  to 
his  usual  post  at  the  head  of  the  troop.  The  bugle 
sounded,  the  word  ^^  march"  was  passed  along  the  line, 
and,  wheeling  into  sections  with  most  elegant  precision, 
the  imposing  array  moved  off.  In  a  very  few  moments 
more,  the  last  of  the  "  invincible  legion"  disappeared  in 
the  distance,  and  the  solitary  dragoon  officer  sat  down  in 
the  parlor  of  the  Ordinary  to  meditate  on  the  probable 
dangers  of  his  situation. 

But  these  dangers  were  only  imaginary,  for  his  grate- 
ful hostess  heard,  in  a  few^  weeks 'after  he  left  her,  that 
he  had  reached  Tarleton  in  safety,  and  participated  in 
the  obstinate  and  bloody  fight  at  Guilford  Court  House, 
which  resulted  so  gloriously  to  the  American  army,  and 
so  effectually  broke  up  the  boasted  and  w* ell-planned  cam- 
paign of  the  British  general. 


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Struggle — "Who  are  They  ?" 

"IMr.  Eobb  is  better  known  probably  as 
'  Solitaire,'  under  which  name  he  haswritten 
some  very  broad,  farcical  sketches  of  Western 
manners  for  the  Eeveille,  of  St.  Louis.  Some 
of  the  sketches  in  this  volume  are  spirited 
and  cleverly  written,  and  they  are  all  lively 
and  full  of  animal  spirits;  but  they  are  too 
brief  to  contain  a  development  of  character. 
The  best  sketch  is  the  story  of  <01d  Sugar,' 
which  is  illustrated  by  an  exceedingly  fine 
drawing  by  Darley.  We  feel,  after  inspecting 
the  designs  in  this  book,  that  we  have  here- 
tofore underrated  the  comic  powers  of  this 
admirable  artist ;  there  are  evidences  in  some 
of  these  designs  of  a  very  high  order  of  ge- 
nius."— N.  1.  Mirror, 


Price  50  Cents.    {Complete.) 

MATpR  JOXES'  COURTSHIP. 

Twe'ljl.  (.Edition,  vnth  Two  Additional  Letters^ 
AND  THIRTEEN  HUMOROUS  PLATES. 

CONTENTS. 

Major  Jones'  Courtshij^  detailed,  with  other 
Scenes  and  Adventures,  in  a  Series  of  Letters 
by  himself. 

"Messrs.  Carey  &  Hart  have  published  the 
drollest  of  the  droll  books  of  the  season.  It  Is 
a  strange  production,  but  so  brimful  of  fu'O, 
that  half  a  drop  would  make  it  run  over.'"'— 
U.  S.  Gazette. 


A.  HART'S  HUMOROUb   LiaRABY, 


Price  50  Cents.    (Complete.) 
THE  DRAMA  AT  POKERVILLE, 

Tlie  Bench  and  Bar  of  Jurytown, 

AND  OTH£K 

STORIES  AND  INCIDENTS. 
BY  "EVERPOINT," 

(T.  H.  FIELD,  I!8Q^  OP  THE  ST.  LOUIS  RETEILLB.) 

CONTENTS. 
The  Drama  in  Pokerrille — ^The  Great  Small 
Affair  Announcement — Feeling  in  Pokerville 
—The  Great  Small  Affair  Opening— The 
Great  Pokerville  Preliminaries— The  Great 
Small  Affair  Mystery— The  Great  Pokerville  ' 
R«-union— The  Great  Siijall  Affair  Dinner— 
The  Great  Pokerville  "Saw"— The  Great  Small 
Affair  Scandal— The  Great  Small  Affair  Chas- 
tisement—The Great  Small  Affair  Duel— 
What  was  built  on  the  Great  Small  Affair 
Foundation— The  Bench  and  Bar  of  Jury- 
town— A  Sucker  in  a  Warm  Bath— An  "Aw- 
ful Place"— The  Elk  Runners—"  Old  Sol"  in 
a  Delicate  Situation— The  "Gagging  Scheme,"  \ 
or,  West's  Great  Picture— Establishing  the 
Science — Ole  Bull  in  the  "  Solitude"— How 
our  Friend  B 's  Hair  wont— A  Fancy  Bar- 
keeper—" Mr.  Nobble  1"— «  Honey  Run"— A 
Hung  Jury— Paternal  Gushings— A  Werry 
Grave  Exhortation — "Your  Turn  next,  Sir" — 
Stopping  to  "  Wood"— Death  of  Mike  Fink- 
Establishing  a  Connection— A  Night  in  a 
Swamp — Steamboat  Miseries — A  Resurrec- 
tionist and  his  Freight. 

"  When  we  say  that  it  is  entirely  worthy  of 
him,  in  design  and  execution,  our  readers 


"Down-east"  Original— Somebody  in  my  Bed 
— A  Day  at  Sol.  Slice's — Cupping  on  the  Star- 
:  num— A  Bear  Story— Playing  Poker  in  Ar- 
kansas— 4c.  &c. 
•'It  is  illustrated  with  original  engravings 
;  from  designs  by  Darley.  The  ♦  Quarter  Race 
in  Kentucky*  is  one  of  the  best  stories  that 
wa^ever  penned,  and  the  volume  contains  a 
number  of  others,  that  have  from  time  to 
time  appeared  in  the  Spirit  of  the  Times, 
which  are  liard  to  beat"--iV.  0.  Picayune, 

Price  60  Cents,    (Cbmplete.) 

WAGGERIES  and  VAGARIES. 

BY  W.  E.  BURTON, 

COMEDIAN 

WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY  DARLEY. 
CONTENTS. 
The  Yankee  amongst  the  Mermaids;  a 
Yam  by  a  Cape  Codder,  with  an  illustration 
— Leap  Year;  or,  A  Woman's  Privilege — The 
Two  Pigs,  a  Swinish  Colloquy— Thavimatur- 
gia;  Part  First,  The  Yankee  in  Hell,  with  an 
illustration;  Part  Second,  The  Resurrection- 
ists; Part  Third,  The  Canal-boat;  Part  Fourth, 
The  Last  and  the  Least— My  First  Fight,  with 
an  illustration — Immiscible  Immigration,  a 
petty  Peter  Pindario— Sam  Weller,  a  Solilo- 
quy in  Verse— The  Pio-Nic  Party,  with  two 
illustrations — The  Poetry  of  Niagara — A  Wet 
Day  at  a  Watering  Place — My  First  Punch, 
with  an  illvistration — The  Scapegrace  and  the 
Scapegoat,  a  Matter-of-fact  Sketch— The  Old 
Dutchman  and  his  Long  Box,  with  an  illus- 


<had  better  believe  it,'  we  could  not  pay  the  J  tration— The  Man  in  the  Big  Boots— Dickey 
work  a  higher  compliment." — N,  T.  Spirit  of  s  Doddicombe,  with  an  illustration — ^Philadel- 
the  Times.  i  phia  in  the  Dog-days — &c.  &c. 

"The  drollest  specimen  of  waggery  that 
ever  emanated  from  that  drollest  of  men, 
Burton."— 2%c  City  Item. 


Price  50  Ct?its.    (Complete.) 
A  QUARTER  RACE  IN  KENTUCKY, 

AND 

OTHER  STORIES. 
BY   W.    T.    PORTER,    ESQ. 

EDITOR  or  THE  "BIG  BEAR  OP  ARKANSAS,"  ETC. 

CONTENTS. 
A  Quarter  Race  in  Kentucky— A  Shark 
Story— Lanty  Oliphant  in  Cour1>— Bill  Morse 
on  the  City  Taxes — Ance  Veasy's  Fight  with 
Reub  Sessions— The  Fastest  Funeral  on  Re- 
cord— Going  to  Bed  before  a  Young  Lady — 
A  Millerite  Miracle— Old  Singletire — "Run- 
ning a  Saw"  on  a  French  Gentleman — Break- 
ing a  Bank— Taking  the  Census— Dick  Har- 
lan's Tennessee  Frolic — "  Falhng  off  a  Log" 
in  a  Game  of  «  Seven  up"— The  «  Werry  Fast 
Crab"—"  French  without  a  Master"— A  Rol- 
licking Dragoon  Officer— The  Georgia  Major 
in  Court— Uncle  Billy  Brown  "Glorious"— 
Old  Tuttle's  Last  Quarter  Race — Bill  Dean, 
the  Texan  Ranger— The  Steamboat  Captain 
who  was  averse  to  Racing— Bob  Herring  the 
Arkansas  Bear-hunter— McAlpin's  Trip  to 
Charleston— Indian  Rubber  Pills— A  Murder 
Case  in  Missiasippi- Kicking  a  Yapi'^^e — A 


Price  50  Cents.    (Complete.) 
ODD  LEAVES  FROM  THE  LIFE 

OP  A 

LOUISIANA  "SWAMP  DOCTOR." 

BY  MADISON  TENSAS,  M.D. 

EX  V.  P.  M.  S.  U.  KY. 

CONTENTS. 

The  City  Physician  versus  The  Swamp  Doc- 
tor— My  Early  Life — Getting  acquainted  with 
the  Medicines — A  Tight  Race  considerin' — 
Taking  Good  Advice — The  Day  of  Judgment 
— A  Rattlesnake  on  a  Steamboat — Frank  and 
the  Professor — The  Curious  Widow — The  Mis- 
sissippi Patent  Plan  for  pulling  Teeth — Vale- 
rian and  the  Panther — Seeking  a  Location — 
Cupping  an  Irishman — Being  Examined  for 
my  Degree — Stealing  a  Baby — The  "  Swamp 
Doctor"  to  Esculapius — My  First  Call  in  the 
Swamp — The  Man  of  Aristocratic  Diseases — 
The  Indefatigable  Bear-hunter — Love  in  a 
Garden— How  tocureFits— A  Struggle  for  Life. 

9 


A.  HART'S   STANDARD  WORKS. 


STANDARD  WORKS. 


LORD  BACON'S  WORKS. 

Price  Reduced  to  $7  50. 

In  3  Royal  8vo.  Volumes,  Cloth  Grilt. 

THE  WORKS  OF  LORD  BACON, 

WITH    A    MEMOIR,    AND    A  TRANSLATION 
OF  HIS  LATIN  WRITINGS, 

BY  BASIL  MONTAGU,  ESQ. 

In  Three  Volumes,  Octavo. 

The  American  edition  of  the  works  of! 
Lord  Bacon,  now  offered  to  the  public,  is 
reprinted  from  the  most  approved  English 
edition,  that  of  Basil  Montagu,  Esq.,  which 
has  recently  issued  from  the  celebrated 
press  of  Pickering,  (the  modern  Aldus,)  in 
seventeen  octavo  volumes.  It  contains  the 
complete  works  of  the  illustrious  philoso- 
pher, those  ill  Latin  being  translated  into 
English.  In  order  to  render  the  publica- 
tion cheap,  and  therefore  attainable  by  all 
our  public  and  social  libraries,  as  well  as 
by  those  general  readers  who  study  econo- 
my, the  seventeen  octavo  volumes  have 
been  comprised  in  three  volumes,  imperial 
octavo.  Being  printed  from  the  most  accu- 
rate as  well  as  complete  English  edition, 
and  carefully  revised,  the  American  edition 
will  possess  greater  advantages  for  the  cri- 
tical scholar  as  well  as  the  general  reader. 
In  typography,  paper  and  binding,  it  will 
be  recognized  as  a  brilliant  specimen  of 
the  products  of  the  American  book  trade. 

"We  may  safely  affirm,  that,  by  giving 
the  Inductive  Philosophy  to  the  world. 
Lord  Bacon  has  proved  one  of  its  most  sig- 
nal benefactors,  and  has  largely  done  his 
part  towards  promoting  the  final  triumph 
of  all  truth,  whether  natural,  or  moral  and 
intellectual,  over  all  error;  and  towards 
bringing  on  that  glorious  crisis,  destined, 
we  aoubt  not,  one  day  to  arrive,  when,  ac- 
cording to  the  allegorical  representation  of 
that  great  poet,  who  was  not  only  the  Ad- 
mirer of  Bacon,  but  in  some  respects  his 
kindred  genius— Truth,  though  '  hewn  like 
the  mangled  body  of  Osiris,  into  a  thousand 
pieces,  and  scattered  to  the  four  winds, 
shall  be  gathered  limb  to  limb,  and  mould- 
ed, with  every  joint  and  member,  into  an 
immortal  feature  of  loveliness  and  perfec- 
tion.' » 

"We  are  more  gratified  than  we  can 
find  words  to  express,  to  find  a  publishing 
house  in  this  country^  pulling  forth  a  pul)- 
lication  like  the  Complete  Works  of  Lord 
Bacon,  in  a  form  at  once  compact,  elegant 
and  economical."— ijror/i^  Jonathan. 

THE  PROSE  WRItTrS  OF  AMERICA 

AND  THEIR  WORKS. 

By  RUFUS  WILIMOT  GRISVVOLD, 

Author  of  "  Poets  and  Poetry  of  America," 

&c. 
Jn  One  Volume  Octavo,  with  nine  beauti- 
fully engraved  Portraits.    Price  $3  60. 
10 


Price  Reduced  to  $2  50. 

THE  WAVERLEY  NOVELS. 

COMPLETE. 
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CAREY  &  HART,  have  recently  published 

A  NEW  EDITION  OF 

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By  SIR  WALTER  SCOTT, 
With  all  the  Author's  latest  Notes  and  Addi- 
tions, Complete,  without  the  slightest 
Abridgment. 
In  Five  Royal  8vo.  volumes,  upwards  oi 
650  Pages  in  each  volume. 

[CONTENTS. 

Waverley,  Guy  Mannering,  Antiquary? 
Rob  Roy,  Black  Dwari,  Old  Mortality, 
Heart  of  Mid-Lothian,  Bride  of  Lammer- 
moor,  Legend  of  Montrose,  Ivanhoe,  The 
Monastery,  The  Abbot,  Keni!worth,  The 
Pirate,  Fortunes  of  Nigel,  Peveril  of  the 
Peak,  Quentin  Durward,  St  Ronan's  Well, 
Redgaunilet,  The  Betrothed,  The  Talisman, 
Woodstock,  The  Highland  Widow,  Two 
Drovers.  My  Aunt  Margaret's  Mirror, 
Tapestried  Chamner,  Tne  Laird's  Jock, 
Fair  Maid  of  Perth.  Anne  of  Gierstein, 
Count  Robert  of  Paris.  Castle  Dangerous, 
The  Surgeon's  Daughter. 

The  object  of  the  publishers  in  thus  re- 
ducing the  price  of  the  Waverley  Novels, 
s  to  endeavor  to  give  them  a  greaily  ex- 
tended circulation,  and  they  have,  there- 
fore, put  them  at  a  price  which  brings  them 
within  the  reach  of  every  family  in  the 
country.  There  is  now  no  fireside  that 
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works  of  fiction  ever  issued  from  the  press : 
for  there  is  no  one  that  can't  afford  two 
dollars  and  a  half-TWO  DOIJ^ARS 
AND  A  HALF  for  twenty-five  of  Sir  Wal- 
ter Scott's  Novels !  ten  cents  for  a  com- 
plete Novell!  ten  cents  for  "Ivanhoe," 
which  was  originally  published  at  a  guinea 
and  a  half  I !  I  It  seems  impossible  and  yet 
it  is  true.  In  no  other  way  can  the  same 
amount  of  amusement  and  instriictioB  be 
obtained  for  ten  limes  the  money,  for  the 
Waverley  Novels  alone  form  a  Library. 

The  publishers  wish  it  to  be  distinctly 
understood,  that,  while  the  price  is  so  great- 
ly reduced  the  work  is  in  no  way  ahridged, 

but  is  CAREFULLY    PRINTED    FROM.  AND  CON- 
TAINS EVERY  WORD  IN  THE  LAST  EDINBURGH 

Edition,  in  forty-eight  volumes,  which  sella 
for  seventy-two  dollars. 

Now  is  the  time  to  buy  !  Such  an  oppor- 
tunity may  never  again  occur.  Lei  every 
one.  then,  who  wants  the  Waverley  Novels 
''or  two  dollars  atid  a  half^  now  purchase,  foi 
if  the  publishers  do  not  find  the  sale  greatly 
increased,  by  the  immense  reduction  in 
price,  they  will  resume  the  old  price  ot 
twt-nty-five  cents  for  each  Novel,  which 
was  considered  wonderfully  cheap. 


HAXT^  STANDARD   WORKS. 


THE 


PROSE\YRlTERSOFAMmCA.| 

or  TMK09CSnT, 


nH»»WIUMT 


WASHINGTON 

AXD  THE 

GENERALS    OF  THE  AME- 
RICAN  REVOLUTION. 

OCAfPL£T£  IN  TWO  VOLS.  13mo. 
fry  SxtttH  htmuU/Miy  tm- 


Wft7ne,Isne« 

SoIliTSB,  Mereer,  Ai—li«Bfc  Kmox,  Ap> 
Mid,  Swslhraod,  De  Otm,  9l  Clair.  El- 
bert. IiTiM,  Wiedem.  Tvub,  WoodiMd, 
WilliBMi,   MoTbn,  KeDMc^   Glorei^ 


Heath, 
Jaaes  OuAoa,  Iat- 
■ed.  La  F^TCtte,  Defeone,  Pviwki,  Rusell, 
DwoMdixf .  Lr  Nomlle,  Sleabea,  De 
Wocdike.  Fiiwi—it^B.  Tvfis,  Di^ottaii, 
De  Fersoj,  Gowsf .  De  KaiO,  Gadsden, 
~  Hi 


a  Xeli  am  C|ea^  H^ittMi 


FHEHDI 

BY  M.  A.  THIEKS. 

rz  PK3CB  XISnXK  OV  rRAXCB. 


4 


Four  Vohnnes.  nmnilm  im  Two. 

■9W  oft  fad  t»  the 
f  mTEKT  LaBGE  TYPB^m 
of 


to  TH'  X 

hfltA-THI  :^ 

FUBUCATIO.y.^  aaa  .ae  :wo  wo r its  p  re- 
Mat  s  eooipiete  ' 

HiSTORY   OF  FRANCE 

vaiabaB,  dowa  to  Uk  dettk  of  Napoieoa. 


Howe.  Frre,.  Waid.  Ka- 

ViA,  SM^Iiea,  Dayioa,  Haad, 
MaMeabexR  Lewis,  Hantiactoa  aad  Max- 
well. 

"  It  is  a  coaaptcte,  iaipartia]  and  w*Il 
wrioea  History  of  die  Aseiisaa  Rerolo* 
tiaa.  aad  at  ilw  aaMe  tiaae  a  fiuiklal  bio^ra- 
pky  of  Ae  tooat  fiatiasaiaked  acton  ia  thai 
zreat  acmes'^  whuae.  Mr  ■ark  ■  are  eo- 
ikiiacd  ia  oar  kewto.  The  typugiaphical 
execatioa  af  Ae  wark  ia  exceUeai.  aad  sx- 
tora  portraxto  oa  ab&el  are  roaaxkafaiy  well 

JOHNSON'S  FAR>IERS»  CYCLO- 
PEDIA aad  Dietkmarj  of  Rarai  A^urs. 
wail E>ifiafiaf;a.ftD»tito law!  oadoa  edi 

eaaairr,  fcy 

@«aL  IMS  PP-,  17  flam,  fitfl 
toS4«L 


MUSS  LESLIE'S 

LADY'S  RECEIPT  BOOK. 

A  aoeM  eoaipaaJoa fix- boge oTHtoll  ft 
a  se^ael  to  her  work  oa  Cook- 
id  n4>n>red  «foee- 
tioaa  for  p'lfpariag  Soaps,  Fi^  Meats,  Ve- 
-     -         '      e,Piea,  Padifi», 
Coafectlonerv.    Jei^es.   BfcakniBt 
'ea  Croiehei 

Bra;  Cleaaiag 

Fata,  Menfl«:».  o-c.  »»  aauiu^  Laocea.  D^ 
stmyiaa  Aai%  Baas  aad  Mwe,  Cleaaiag 
SOrer,  Prepariag  UilorB,  ankiag  Arttfietal 
Ploweta,  Ac.  Ac  Cyph  fc  ia  oae  ▼oiaato. 
400  p^es,  price,  boaad,#L  Oa 

MaBLaKa^Coaai.crsCoacxxT.bd.,  St  00 
Mat  LBUB«t  Hocss  Book,  boaad,  .  1  00 
^■aLau^tFasacaCooKaai,  S5 

3riss  LaHXK^  Ijii«tAJi  MxAii  Paea,  •         M 

U 


A-  HABrS   STANDARD   WOEKS. 


THE     MODERN    BRITISH    ESSAYISTS 
At  1«M  tMmm  SaliT  Prfte«. 

TVe  great  wecf  ikai  ham  mnrmiii  Ae ■■hGcacaa af 
THE  MODERN  S8SATIST&, 
_         _  rliiiiiiiWnntiafihe  W  ■^■■n  linij 

of  ModetB  THBea,  has  iadaeei  Ike  ffabGthefs  to  tammt  a  New.  Brriaed  aai  vcn 
ITiitiw,  wiA  Piaely  Eayaiad  Pareaifcaf^  AaA 

OXE  HAI.P. 

TW  wmiiaca  of  eadi  aa&ar  w3l  ge»e-nil j  kc 

will  cioattahi  aB  dbeai 

THE   EDINBURGH    REVIEW, 

aad  mmj  iadeed  be  raOed  *e  cmulm  of  ifcaae  pafcfea<— w 

Babdictox  Macaci^t.  AarwiBAU  Axokml  Bar.  giaajti  Sibib.  Paaraaaa  Waaaa 
Jamb  Siarma,  Rosxbt  Soctbxt.  9a  WAi.Tsa  Soott.  Losa  i^vBar,  9B . 
unouL,  T.  Nooa  TAi.POoa».  J.  G.  Lockhabz.  Rao  «al»  Haaaa. 

■i  the  extreae  aMderaiir^  of  tke  pfiea,  1 


«e 


To  FXAX>s  or  Faxixxb  for  their  ClMrra,  as  perfoet  ■edtbof  •trie. 
To  Majcagbb  or  Book  Sucmiaa.  Book  CWhu  Jkc 

adapted  for  School  UbrarieaL 

Tkatkluosov  AJocaaarvOlfaiiaAeoe  paitiMe  aai  cheay  vaiaBK 
read  oa  tho road, adi^Ved la IHaeorahr ia 

wkiLaa  away  the  ■aaateaaaa  heal  ■  af  a  aa 
To  OmcsBS  nr  imm.  Amr  as*  Katt.  aa 


^ated  LArmnf,ni  a 

To  AU.  WaO  BATE 

TtaMoacBB  Ematks  vOI  yieU  la  ihe 

«  ilaaMe  aad  laieremM  ariitiaga  of  all  die  BMl  diwiotii  ■hiidaaAaoof< 
tSaa  one  qaaner  the  prwe  ihey  cooM  be  oiifiard  la  aaj  echerfofai. 

Tax  SituBBT  ABB  LoTSB  OT  IxmLATTBs  at  Hoaw.  who  has  hiihinn  I 
r%  wade  ihroogh  ^nlairt  of  Bevtews  for  a  aiafte  anieie.  May 
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CAI7X.A7. 


Huike^  Ifi— ly  of  *o  POaea. Chwlay  aad 
M  noa.  M^e^a  HJMary^of  (Bwcee,  TW 

CRinClL  L\D  lISCELmEODl    f£^^?JS^^"* 
WRITINGS  OF  ^^^-'^^'*-   y*^r-  - 

THOMAS  BABnrGTOH  MACADI.AT.  )  Disahiipca  of  the  Jewa,  lUi  aa  Catua 
laOiM  r«JMacwMoJbMio«»M>»'     >^"*-  DiaAe«^  PifcaM  of 
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■oow^  L^i  of  ^- 

y^k  Beayn^  Pllniai'^  Pragfoaa 

or  Johataa,  Letd 


Ooket^  Baow«irs  Ufo 
Mrsoirsof 


Wayeafy 


Nare'a  Me- 
Beeo«> 
Lord  Mahoa%  Warof 
^  Leans  to  9irH. 
Maaa,  ThaeaaiarH  HisiBrr  af  fivl  Chat- 
haautoid  Bacoa.  Maefcianoa^  Hamarr-^imwr^ 
Iho  Bcvolonoa  of  Eaf^aad,  Sir  Joaa  Mai-  } 
oatat'^  Life  of  L4>rd  Clire.  Uic  and  Wiiums 
•r  St  W.  Teaikpie,  Chaich  aad  Slaie, 
13 


I  aaTWoey  of 


vraow  hoattodhyaMeas) 
L  Why  mmk»  tf  iMicad ahooiai 
« '.  emmjm*   Of  ^ 
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w«h  Aaka  «r«a  ha^  aaihiBf  aar 

bade  -ftavhy  aaJ  **t 
tertyBrr^w*    H 
wnoea?    S^eh 
paihythe 


A.  HART'S   STANDARIr    WOKKS. 


Such  men  would  place  Bancroft  above  Web- 
ster, and  SparKS  above  Calhoun,  Adams  and 
fciverett— deny  a  posterity  for  Bryant's  Tha- 
natopsis,  and  predict  longevity  to  Pollok's 
Course  of  Time.  It  is  singular  that  the  sa- 
gacity which  can  delfecl  thought  only  in  a 
state  ofdilution,  is  not  sadly  graveled  when 
it  thinks  of  the  sententious  aphorisms  which 
have  survived  whole  libraries  of  folios,  and 
the  little  songs  wh  ch  have  outrun,  in  the 
race  of  fame,  so  many  enormous  epics. — 
While  it  can  easily  be  demonstrated  that 
Macaulav's  writings  contain  a  hundred-fold 
more  matter  and  thought,  than  an  equal 
number  of  volumes  taken  fronri  what  are 
called,  -par  eminence^  the  '  British  Essay- 
ists,' it  is  not  broaching  any  literary  heresy 
to  pi  edict,  that  they  will  sail  as  far  down 
the  stream  of  time,  as  those  eminent  mem- 
bers of  the  illustrious  family  of  British  elas- 
tics."   

AKCHIBAZiiD  AlilSOn. 

THE  CRITICAL  AND  MISCELLANEOUS 

WRITINGS  OF 
ARCHIBALD  ALISON, 

ATJTHOR  OF  "THE  HISTORY  OF  TiUROPE," 

In  One   Volume,  8vo   with  a  portrait. 

Price  $1  25. 

CONTENTS. 

Chateaubriand,   Napoleon.   Bossuet,  Po- 
land, Madame  de   Stael,   National  Monu- 
ments, Marshal  Ney,  Robert  Bruce,  Paris 
in  1814,  The  Louvre  in  1814,  Tyrol.  France 
in  1S33,  Italy,  Scott,  Campbell  and  B>ron,  ^ 
Schools  of  Design,  Lamartine,  The  Copy-  ' 
Tight  Question,  Michelet's  France.  Military  ; 
'''reason  and  Civic  Soldiers,  Arnold's  Rome,  ; 
Mirabeau.  Bulwer's  Athens.  The  Reign  of 
Terror.    The    French   Revolution  of  1^30, 
The  Fall  of  Turkey,  The  Spanish  Revolu- 
tion of  1820,  Karamsin's  Ru.ssia,  Effects  of 
the  French  Revolution  of  18-50.  Desertion  of 
Portugal,    Wellington,   Carlisl  Struggle  in 
Spain.  The   Affghanistai  Expedition,  The 

Future,  &c.  &c.       

III. 

THE  WORKS  OF  THE 

REV.  SYDNEY  SMITH. 

Fine  Edition.    In  One  Volume,  with  a 
portrait.     Price  $1  00. 

"  Almost  every  thing  he  has  written  is  so 
characteristic  that  it  would  be  difficult  to 
attribute  it  to  any  other  man.  The  marked 
individual  features  and  the  rare  combina- 
tion of  power  displayed  in  his  works,  give 
them  a  fascination  unconnected  with  tlie 
subject  of  which  he  treatsor  the  gmeral  cor- 
rectness of  his  views.  He  sometimes  hits 
the  mark  in  the  white,  he  sometimes  misses 
It  altogether,  for  he  by  no  means  confines 
his  pen  to  theories  to  which  he  is  calculated 
to  do  justice;  but  whether  he  hiis  or  misses, 
he  is  always  sparkling  and  delightful.  The 
charm  of  his  writings  is  somewhat  similar 
10  that  of  Montaigne  or  Charles  Lamb  "— 
Horth  American  Review. 


TV. 

FKOFZ2SSOR  VdTLSOTI. 

THE  RECREATIONS  OF 

CHRISTOPHER  NORTH. 

InOjie  Volume  8vo.,  first  American  Edition 
with  a  Portrait.     Price  81  00. 

CONTENTS. 

Christopher  in  his  Sporting  Jacket— A 
Tale  of  Expiation — Morning  Monologue — 
The  Field  of  Flowers— Cottages— An  Hour's 
Talk  about  Poetry — Inch  Cruin— A  Day  at 
Windermere— The  Moors — Highland  Snow- 
storm—The  Holy  Child— Our  Parish— May- 
day—  Sacred  Poetry— Christopher  in  hi? 
Aviary — Dr.  Kitchiner — Soliloquy  on  the 
Seasons — A  Few  Words  on  Thomson — 
The  Snowball  Bicker  of  Piedmont — Christ- 
mas Dreams— Our  Winter  Quarters— Stroll 
to  Grafsmere — L'Envoy. 

Extract  from  Howit^s  ^^  Rural  Life.^^ 

"  And  not  less  for  that  wonderful  series 
of  articles  by  Wilson,  in  Blackwood's 
Msigaizine— in  their  kind  as  truly  amazing 
and  as  truly  glorious  as  the  romances  ojt 
Scott  or  the  poetry  of  Wordsworth.  Far  and 
w^ide  and  much  as  these  papers  have  been 
admired,  wherever  the  English  language  is 
read,  I  still  question  whether  any  one  man 
has  a  just  idea  of  them  as  a  whole." 


Carlyle's  lyiiscellgLnies. 
CRITICAL  ANdIhSCELLANEOIS 

ESSAYS   OF 
THOMAS  CARLYLE. 

hi  one  Svo.  volume,  witli  a  Portrait. 
Price  SI  75. 
C  ONTENTS. 
Jean  Paul  Friedrich  Richter — State  of 
German  liiterature  —  Werner  —  Goethe's 
Helena— Goethe— Burns— Hey  ne— German 
Playwrights— Voltaire— Novalis—Si^ns  of 
the  Times— Jean  Paul  Friedrich  Richter 
again- On  History— Schiller— Th^  Nibel- 
lungen  Lied— Early  German  Literature — 
Taylor's  Historic  Survey  of  German  Poetry 
—  Characteristics— Johnson— Death  of  Go- 
ethe—Goethe's Works— Diderot— On  His- 
tory again— Count  Cagliostro— Corn  Law 
Rhymev^— The  Diamond  Necklace— Mira 
beau— French  Parliamentary  History  — 
Waller  Scott,  &c.  &c. 

VI. 
TALFOTJBDJt  STEPHEN. 

THE  CRITICAL  WRITINGS 

OF 

T.  NOON  TALFOURD 

AND 

JAMES   STEPHEN 

WITH  A  FINELY  ENGRAVED  PORTRAIT. 

In  One  Volume,  Svo.     Price  $1  35. 
13 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
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